The Legend of Ochi Review: Better Concept Than Execution
Theatrical Movie Review - Family
Jim Henson was at the height of his career when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s, so I have a healthy love for puppets. So I went into Isaiah Saxon’s debut feature, The Legend of Ochi, with some relatively high expectations. Knowing that this film included a number of puppets and practical effects, I was excited to see what that would look like in a modern movie. But I found myself more interested in what could be than what was as I watched.
Yuri (Helena Zengel) wants to fit in with her father, Maxim (Willem Dafoe), her brother, Petro (Finn Wolfhard), and the small army of boys that Maxim has gathered around himself. They train every day so that they can hunt the Ochi, mythical beasts that have been rumored to drain animals of all their blood with a single bite, and who, Maxim tells his children, carried off their mother, Dasha (Emily Watson). When Yuri discovers a wounded baby Ochi (voiced by Paul Manalatos), she discovers that what she has been told about these animals may not be the whole truth. And when she finds that she can communicate with them, she realizes that she needs to help the baby find his way back home.
It must be said at the outset that The Legend of Ochi is a beautiful movie. It was filmed in a remote area of Romania to give the setting for the fictional Carpathian mountains, and it is breathtaking. Additionally, the puppets themselves and the world of the puppeteers that bring them to life are incredibly impressive. The Ochi are a mix of animatronics and puppets, with computer graphics used only in wide shots to show motion, not in the close-ups of the animals’ faces.
Despite the gorgeous aesthetics and a potentially moving story about family and belonging, The Legend of Ochi felt like it was missing something at its core. Despite impressive showings from Zengel, Dafoe, and Watson, the final scene still felt flat. At one point, Dasha explains to Yuri that the Ochi communicate their feelings through their song, and when they are all making music, it is a miracle. Even though this bit of dialogue is repeated at the end, the film failed to capture that miraculous feeling. We see the physical world change a bit, but as I watched, I didn’t feel any wonder beyond the setting and my fascination with the practical effects.
There have been numerous movies where communication between a human and some kind of creature has been limited, yet we still feel that emotional connection between the characters. It is clear that E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was an inspiration for this movie, but while we wanted E.T. to find his home, we also cared about his connection to Elliott. We cried at the end because we had an attachment to that character, even if he couldn’t speak. I felt appreciation for the craft at the end of The Legend of Ochi, but no attachment.
Rating: 2.5/5
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on April 27, 2025.
My love of puppets and Muppets and creatures who are totes adorbs is well documented. But I simply have no emotional connection to E.T. and all the films it's inspired. Really don't wanna see this one if there's other options even though I know it'll be solid. Feel like it might just slip past, but we'll see.