The Legend of Ochi

My wife and I look for a pleasant movie after our weekly steak and wine dinner, with chocolate cake of course. This one fit the bill, interesting, magical, mystical story of getting along with misunderstood strangers.

We watched it at home, on Blu-Ray from our public library. There is an 18-minute "extra" where the filmmaker explains the genesis of the project, how he went about getting it made, and many interesting aspects of making the movie. As a film nerd I enjoyed the "extra" as much as I enjoyed the movie.

It is set on a small, fictional island but was filmed in the mountains of Romania. The Ochi, an ape-like wild creature, are feared and hunted. One day, checking the animal traps, the 12-yr-old daughter finds a baby Ochi with its leg caught in one. She feels for it, frees it, and brings it home in her backpack.

I admit I didn't like all of the scenes, but the overall theme, of learning to understand and accept things that are different, is a worthwhile one.

As a movie I don't rate it particular high, but as entertainment we enjoyed it as something different from the usual. Having Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson as the dad and mom of the kids was a good touch.

This is one of those films that arrives quietly and softly nestles into your heart - The Legend of Ochi tells a tender coming-of-age story wrapped in myth and nature, where a young girl finds herself connected to a strange, mystical creature and makes the brave choice to protect it, even when it means letting go.

Among the group, Winny really vibed with the visual style - the colors, the misty forests, the soft lighting, and that ethereal world-building had him fully immersed. It's a beautiful film, no doubt, with that almost storybook kind of feel that lingers even after the credits roll.

Willow, on the other hand, saw the signs coming early - the whole "family sees creature, thinks it's dangerous, tries to stop it" arc. He called it from the beginning, and yeah, he wasn't wrong. Predictable? Kinda. But it still hit some nice emotional notes.

Mimikyu? Oh, she was all-in on the Ochi creature. Absolutely adored it. Said it was expressive, sweet, and honestly deserved protection at all costs. She even started shipping Ochi and the girl - not in a weird way, just that they clearly understood each other in a way no one else could. It's that soul connection stuff, and she was here for it.

Amy and Tails? Total Dad fans. Every time he popped up, they'd crack up. His moments added that quirky charm, grounding the movie with some warm, unexpected humor.

Sweet was drawn to the core concept - finding a rare or maybe even extinct creature and choosing to protect it instead of exploiting it. He felt like, yeah, it was predictable in parts, but the pacing and the way the story unfolded gave it its own rhythm. He liked how it didn't rush itself and let the bond between girl and creature breathe.

Altogether, this wasn't a perfect movie, but it was a sincere one. It gave off those quiet-but-deep kind of feels - like something you'd find in a tucked-away corner of childhood memory. Some might say it's a little rough around the edges, but that kind of adds to its charm.

Final Rating: 7/10.

The Legend of Ochi is a very ambitious project for someone to tackle as their directorial debut and I give praise to Isiah Saxon for really going for it. The world building here is pretty solid for the most part and the movie starts off with a strong setup and some good action. The main Ochi creature himself is very endearing and his connection with the young girl is very sweet. The fact that the creatures are practical is awesome. The movie has some funny moments especially the scenes with Willem Dafoe and that main duo. However the movie loses the plot a little bit in the second half. Character actions feel like they're forced in order for the plot to continue and some of the pay off feels cheap. The movie's ending feels a little cliche and because of that I feel like this movie is going to have a hard time really engaging general audiences. Overall it's an entertaining enough movie and I love that Saxon got to express his creative vision, but some more fleshing out of the world and characters could've helped.

A24's first family feature film offers a decent throwback to the 80s sci-fi fantasy stories that were created and it's clear the filmmaker has a lot of passion. The colorful background, designs, costumes and the special effects are all wonderful and beautifully designed to capture the atmosphere and tone. Alongside with the layers of the designs of the creatures and the make up. It reminds me a lot of The Neverending Story vibe.

With the musical score being pretty good and the atmosphere, I appreciate the new world concept the filmmaker is able to make as I love to see a new whole world to be made or explored. The performances from the cast are all pretty good and the creature, Ochi, is so cute!

However, what holds the movie back from being good is the writing and structure. The writing offers new concepts and ideas but the cliche approach to how it navigates the scenarios starts to feel uninteresting and doesn't hit the emotional impact. Alongside with the thinly written characters that really made me struggle to connect with their goals or understand their motivations. Kind of a shame since I love the vibe but I did wish the writing was better.

Overall, it's a good movie from children as it is a clear film for family entertainment. A24 recently has been having a weird timeline of movies ever since they opened to make more commerical films.

I went to Cinemark's "secret movie" last night. It was "The Legend of Ochi", a fantasy adventure film about a young girl (Helena Zengel) who lives on an isolated island who is taught to fear the titular creature. But when she finds an injured baby one, she embarks on a journey to return it to its mountain home. The puppet animation of the creature is amazing, but the story itself is a bit silly even for a children's film; Willem Dafoe as her father and Emily Watson as her mother are fine, but they do overact a bit. Finn Wolfhard is wasted as Dafoe's adopted "son". I would rate it as a 5/10 for adults - children and young adults may rate it a 7/10.