The notion of what to do as youth during the summer hols has change dramatically over the years. There was a time when actually venturing outdoors was seen as the cool thing to do. That's all changed now of course; these days kids can't be more than 10 ft away from a power source to plug their various devices into, and wandering any further results in self combustion. Sad days indeed.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts' debut feature, although not technically set in the pre-Apple period, harks back to a time where it felt damn good to be outdoors.

With school out for another year, Joe (Nick Robinson) and Patrick (Gabriel Basso) have the whole summer to look forward to. That would be true if it wasn't for their annoying parents. Joe feels that since his mum died, his dad Frank (Nick Offerman) has been breaking his balls constantly. Patrick's parents, Mr & Mrs Keenan (Marc Evan Jackson and Megan Mullally) aren't anywhere near as disparaging, but are a real pain to be around.

The pressure builds so much that the pair decide to escape into the wilds of Ohio. There, along with the truly odd Biaggio (Moises Arias), who just seems to appear out of thin air, conceive a plan to build something. Not just a fun tree house, but an actual house in the middle of the woods. And that's exactly what they do.

It's there that they begin to develop their friendships on the cusp of manhood, learning the basics of what it takes to become men, both the good and bad.

This Fruit Ninja app is so damn realistic!

There's certainly a retro feel about this title. It's like a comedy filmed with Instagram; it filters out all of the modern day noise and focuses on the dynamic of friendship. Vogt- Roberts does an extraordinary job in evoking a timeless bond between friends, while underlying it with camera work with a cocksure, indie sensibility.

He's helped out by a quirky script by debut script writer, whose comic leanings seem somewhere between Youth in Revolt (but that may just be the facial hair connection) and anything by Wes Anderson. And yes, fond echoes of the classic Stand by Me.

The young cast do well too, especially Arias, who injects an intense amount of weirdness into his character with excellent results; so much so that he deserves either a spin-off film, or even better, his own TV series to continue his own bizarre adventures.

The older members of the cast, with a strong comedic background between them, turn on the comic charm all the way up to help keep the laughs coming.

It's completely out of touch with modern times, and yet all the more watchable for it. It also serves as a great reminder that there's a great real world to explore beyond those pesky touch screens.