In 'Earth to Echo,' tech-savvy adolescents discover and befriend a powerful – if minuscule – alien. Meet more of cinema's brainiest kids and expand your own knowledge base.

Explorers (1985)

Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, each in his big-screen debut, star as a pair of geeks who build a fully functional spacecraft out of an old amusement park Tilt-a-Whirl car. We assume this scored them some extra credit in science class.

October Sky (1999)

West Virginia, 1957: Jake Gyllenhaal is Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son with higher aspirations – specifically, rocketry. Trivia note: The film's title is an anagram for 'Rocket Boys,' Hickam's actual 1998 memoir.

Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

Childhood chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc) gets coached by Laurence Fishburne in speed chess, while Ben Kingsley tries to get him to focus on world championship play. The real Josh Waitzkin later moved on to Tai Chi.

Rushmore (1998)

Prep school wunderkind Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is too smart for his own good – he even thinks he can rival Bill Murray for his teacher's affections. Director Wes Anderson displays an early affinity for the bright and nerdy.

Finding Forrester (2000)

Jamal (Rob Brown) isn't just a basketball ace – he's also got serious literary talent, and reclusive writer William Forrester (Sean Connery) knows it. This is the film that gave birth to the Internet catchphrase "You're the man now, dog."

Matilda (1996)

Before the Broadway musical, there was this adaptation of the Roald Dahl book. Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson) realizes, at the tender age of six, that she's smarter than her own rotten parents, and it's off to Crunchem Hall she goes.

Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

Akeelah (Keke Palmer) can spell just about anything. With Laurence Fishburne (no longer coaching chess, apparently) and 'Revenge of the Nerds' own Curtis Armstrong as her mentors, she's on her way to the National Spelling Bee.

Spellbound (2002)

This documentary about a variety of spelling bee contenders was a sleeper hit – which might have helped 'Akeelah and the Bee' get made. Regardless, 'Spellbound' stands on its own as great entertainment.

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

David (Joey Cramer) passes out for two hours – and wakes up eight years later, with a head filled with extra-terrestrial data! Time to travel the galaxy in a spaceship voiced by Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens in this cult favorite.

WarGames (1983)

"Shall we play a game?" If the game is "Global Thermonuclear War," the answer is "No." Hacker Matthew Broderick learns this the hard way as he and Ally Sheedy race the clock to stop a military supercomputer from starting WWIII.

Little Man Tate (1991)

Fred Tate (Adam Hann-Byrd) is seven – and studies quantum physics at a university. 'Little Man Tate' examines the pressures of being a child genius. Gifted director/costar Jodie Foster might have sympathized with Fred's plight.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)

There are lots of animated films featuring whiz kids – 'The Incredibles' and 'How to Train Your Dragon,' to name just two – but including this movie about the ultimate young brainiac is, well, a no-brainer.

'Bridge to Terabithia' (2007)

Josh Hutcherson – before 'The Hunger Games' – and AnnaSophia Robb star as two talented young loners who, bullied by their peers, escape into a fantasy world of their own design. Warning: tears will be jerked.

D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

Talk about gifted kids: Daryl (Barret Oliver) is a full-on cyborg, a human child with a computer brain enhanced with loads of artificial intelligence. The title stands for Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform. We'll just stick with "Daryl."

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

You didn't think we'd forget Hogwarts' finest, did you? For ten years we watched as Harry, Ron and Hermione experienced triumph and tragedy, their magical talents saving them time and again. Expecto Patronum!