What they told me about The Legend of Ochi: “In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.” 

Let me tell you: The movie is lovely. It is aesthetically pleasing and it scratches an itch I didn’t know I had – childhood wonder. It recalls that line from Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges: “That’s the way it is with good ones, you’re sure you’ve heard them before.” This movie felt familiar in the best way.

The Legend of Ochi Gives Total Goonies Vibes

There was a moment when I half-expected Chunk to come running in, being chased by the Fratellis. Yuri’s rebellious tone and yellow jacket gave off major Elizabeth Shue/ Chris Parker/ Adventures in Babysitting vibes. You can’t quite place it in time (not a cell phone in sight!), and when adventure calls and Yuri answers so quickly, the kid in me woke up… I was emotionally in.  

The lovely movie moved me. GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE! 

The opening forest chase scene plays like a nostalgic ode to the black and white King Kong fire scene; introducing us to the ethereal ochi with their “airplane ears.” A note about the titular character, it’s adorable. It’s fierce, it has a great singing voice; think Avatar mixed with Gizmo. In an audio message, director Isaiah Saxon said he made the film for kids – adding to that sentiment, for the kids in all of us. The young ochi is fantastical. I walked in with a “Grogu vs. Baby Ochi” thought, left with a “mogwai vs. ochi” feeling. The elder ochi? Picture the uRu/Mystics from the Dark Crystal. 

Filming locations are out of this world. The scenery is alive, the colors vivid – watch this one at your favorite theater. And the casting is top-tier, too. 

Emily Watson as the matriarch Dasha finally convinced me to start Dune: Prophecy. Her rock-and-a-hard-place interactions with Yuri (Helena Zengal) play the eternal struggle between mother and daughter well. Brother Petro  (Finn Wolfhard) either causes or gets Yuri into trouble, but clearly loves her…so yeah, actual sibling energy. Papa Maxim (Willem Dafoe) comes to realize Yuri is more like her mother than he expected. He’ll have to change or risk losing another member of his family to the ochi. 

Final Thoughts

The film does wonders – and it does them very, very well. 

How long has it been since you took your inner child to a movie?😊 

The Legend of Ochi opens in theaters on April 25.