2.5 out of 5 stars
A24’s newest release, “The Legend of Ochi,” is a whimsical watch featuring a star-studded cast, but that wasn’t enough to overlook the lack of depth in the backstory of the characters or plot. The film suffers from unoriginality and underdevelopment.
As an avid fan of A24 films, I was surprised to hear about the release of a PG-rated creature feature by the studio. The film’s adorable creature, a baby Ochi, was one of the only redeeming qualities.
On the fictional island of Carpathia, Yuri (Helena Zengel) lives with her Ochi-hunter father, Maxim (Willem Dafoe), and has been taught to believe that the Ochi are violent beasts. When Yuri encounters a baby Ochi and discovers that maybe they’re not as dangerous as people say, she embarks on a journey to return the baby to its family.
The worldbuilding and cinematography excelled in this film. Carpathia blends both modern and traditional elements to create a dreamy, surreal island that felt enchanting and immersive.
In my post-watch research, I also learned that the Ochi is a puppet, not CGI, which stands out from most films nowadays. I appreciate the fresh take and the breaking of recent genre norms.
The baby Ochi was very charming, and I really wanted to pet it. If the studio hasn’t already done it, they need to release an Ochi stuffed animal as merchandise. I would buy that.
Dafoe’s performance was another strength, despite his lack of dialogue. In usual Dafoe fashion, he embodied an eccentric, intense character with an edge of ironic, comedic relief.
Although I wanted this movie to be great because of the lovable Ochi creature, the twists, conflicts and resolutions of the plot were all unsatisfyingly obvious. I mean, come on. A kid protects a villainized creature in secrecy while being chased by people who intend to hurt it? Been there, seen that.
Zengel played the protagonist, but her performance was mediocre. For a character with so much empathy and curiosity, her facial expressions and body language fell short. It was difficult to envision Yuri as a character because Zengel’s acting felt forced.
A major issue with the film was the lack of chemistry between the characters. There was hardly any dialogue exchanged that wasn’t completely expository. Most of the characters fell flat, and it was hard to really fall in love with or advocate for any of them.
The run time is only an hour and a half. If the movie had been a little longer, it could have explored a richer plot and more character dimension. The film explored some important themes about nature and acceptance, but they felt extremely underdeveloped.
Overall, this film felt like it had a lot of potential that wasn’t reached. Given that this was writer and director Isaiah Saxon’s debut film and theatrical release, I feel sympathetic towards “The Legend of Ochi” and hesitate to completely hate on it.
If you’re a massive fan of the 80s fantasy-adventure genre, I would recommend “The Legend of Ochi.” Otherwise, wait for it to be released on streaming platforms and be sure not to expect the typical thought-provoking thriller A24 usually makes.
Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.