La Légende d'Ochi

The Legend of Ochi is a A24's attempt at an E. T. movie. It follows a little girl as she attempts to take a cute baby creature home while being pursued by her angry father and his band of boys who are trying to exterminate the creatures. There has been a lot of attempts to make an E. T. like movie before but what makes this attempt charming is all of the creatures are done by puppetry. I am a sucker for puppetry so I really like it. The creature also has a great designs. The cast is ok with Willem Dafoe playing the out of touch dad and the girl playing the weird quirky kid. She isn't annoying but she isn't likable either. Finn Wolfhard plays the adoptive brother who has nothing to work with and is kinda an afterthought. The chemistry of the girl and the creature is good but unfortunately they take a decent size break in the middle of the movie so you never really get emotionally invested in their relationship. The creature is cute though so I enjoyed all the scenes it was in. Overall it's an ok sweet kid and its creature feature but nothing too memorable.

Once again, the world is introduced to a supremely cute and photogenic creature meant to evoke child-like joy. The only difference is, this isn't some E. T. knock-off, but more like a dark Disney film from the early 80s.

Filled with dark imagery, ominous music and some deep themes about parental control and relationships, The Legend of Ochi gives us a sense of fear, joy and triumph amidst the backdrop of the Carpathian Mountains. It's rare to see this kind of movie made these days, especially since the hyper reality of the film's world has a touch of Wes Anderson. Fortunately, the film doesn't go too hard in that department as the world feels a little more real than Anderson's sensibilities.

Overall, the story starts out pretty strong, giving us a very good foundation to focus on. However, it's the muddled middle where the problems begin. A couple of overly convenient contrivances occur, and while they were certainly meant to move the story quicker, it was still jarring in their sudden entrance.

The only other complaint was sometimes the VFX shots didn't look convincing, but this was a low budget movie and they did a good job considering their limitations. Overall, I found the film to be a joy and interesting to look at, which is fine from time to time.

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.

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.