THE LEGEND OF OCHI Review: Bringing The Kid Out In All Of Us

Introduction

Humans have a history of trying to eradicate perceived pests. Bacteria, insects, wolves, other humans who have been living there for centuries. In The Legend of Ochi, creatures known as Ochi are the alleged pests being targeted. And why must they be hunted to extinction? Are they destroying crops? Eating livestock? Are they attacking humans? Do they speak Spanish as their primary language?

It always infuriates me when animals are killed because they ate a chicken or attacked a hiker on a mountain trail or just have fins or horns. Those animals are literally just doing what nature programmed them to do. But we humans are selfish.

If Death of a Unicorn taught us anything, it’s that humans will murder even mythical creatures if we’re afraid of them or can get a boner by ingesting them. Based on the opening sequence of The Legend of Ochi, you would probably go with ‘eating livestock,’ final answer Regis. But the answer is what it usually is with us humans – fear. Why should the Ochi be any different?

Synopsis

On the Black Sea island of Carpathia, all children, including Yuri (Helena Zengel) and her
brother Petro (Finn Wolfhard), have been taught not to go out at night, lest they be killed by an Ochi. Their father, Maxim (Willem Dafoe), spends his twilight years training a pack of boys, including Petro, and leading them into the forest each night to hunt Ochi. And really, is there any actor more perfect to play a semi-crazed scout leader hunting reclusive creatures in the middle of the night in a dark forest than Willem Dafoe?

One night, Yuri discovers an injured baby Ochi in one of Maxim’s traps. Rather than tell Maxim about it, Yuri secretly brings the Ochi to her bedroom to dress the creature’s wound. She quickly forms a bond with the Ochi, deciding she must return the baby to its mother. As she sneaks out the window, Petro spots her and the Ochi, the three of them all freezing in startlement.

Yuri makes clear her intention and makes off into the night. Like Yuri, Petro decides not to tell Maxim about the Ochi, instead letting Maxim discover for himself what has happened. Can you blame them? I wouldn’t want to bear that news either to a man who looks like Dafoe, but if he hadn’t slept for weeks.

Thus, we settle into a quest movie reminiscent of the semi-family-friendly puppet movies from the 1980s. Semi-friendly because, like The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, Return to Oz, and Labyrinth, the tone of The Legend of Ochi is more ominous and darker than today’s family-friendly, mostly animated movies. But also semi-friendly because Yuri is a tween girl on an adventure with a fairly adorable little creature. Unlike those other films, the scariest thing in Ochi isn’t a puppet, but Willem Dafoe.

Discussion

Without spoiling too much of the adventure, it features familiar elements. There’s a close call with death, more bonding between the two companions as they learn how to communicate with each other, narrow escapes from their pursuers, Yuri reconnecting with her estranged mother Dasha (Emily Watson), and a climax forcing the various characters to confront their fears, pasts, and relationships. Oh, and Dafoe is wearing an outfit that must be seen to be believed. In other words, fun for the whole family.

As a big fan of all of those 1980s movies I listed, The Legend of Ochi hits me right in one of my sweet spots. It helps that the story doesn’t have any glaring plot holes or hard-to-swallow conceits. Perhaps its strongest attribute is that it never feels like it’s dumbing itself down for the lowest common denominator.

Conclusion

The Legend of Ochi doesn’t stoop to poop or fart jokes for cheap laughs and it doesn’t turn Yuri or Petro into cliched angsty teenagers. There’s sincerity in Yuri’s actions, devotion to family in Petro’s actions, and loss in hiding behind Maxim’s actions. They are all relatable in multiple ways to everyone in the audience, much to the movie’s benefit. And oh, how nice it is to see the filmmakers embrace the possibilities of using real puppets for the vast majority of the creature effects. They fit perfectly with that Dafoe guy.

Rating: Don’t ask for any money back or Willem Dafoe will hunt you down.

The Legend of Ochi premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2025. It’s set for a wide theatrical release in the United States on April 25, 2025.

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