The Legend of Ochi (2025)
Directed by Isaiah Saxon
[Rated PG] 1hr 35min
★★★
The Legend of Ochi is a fantasy adventure film about a girl who befriends an injured baby ochi, a creature that humans fear and try to eradicate. The girl takes the baby ochi on a quest to bring him back to his family and learns much more about the mysterious creatures along the way.
This is a fairly generic story that has been told many times before, but the way the story is conveyed through the film’s visuals provides it with a unique aesthetic. The rustic production design and soft focus cinematography make the movie feel like a storybook brought to life. In addition, the puppetry of the ochi creatures is phenomenal, and it enhances the relationship between the girl and baby ochi with the realism of its practical effects. Although the story itself isn’t anything new, its presentation through the stunning visuals and impressive puppetry still make the film worth watching.
I recommend The Legend of Ochi to anyone who enjoys seeing fantastic imagery and practical effects in films. Those elements are what primarily keeps the movie engaging in an otherwise mundane story, and they create a wondrous atmosphere that gives the film a distinctive vision.
The Legend of Ochi is now playing in theaters. Click here to watch the Official Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper