The Legend of Ochi has a good cast. Helena Zengel (Yuri) is a young German actress whose role in News of the World brought her to my attention in 2020. Finn Wolfhard (Petro) came to my attention in the last two Ghostbuster films (Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) but has made a splash in Stranger Things. Emily Watson (Dasha) and Willem Dafoe (Maxim) have a long list of amazing films in their credits.
The Legend of the Ochi takes place on the island of Carpathia where the inhabitants live in fear of an ape-like creature that comes down from the hills and kill and eat the villagers’ flocks, and sometimes the villagers, too.
Maxim (Dafoe) is the defense leader of the village. He works hard to train the young boys and his daughter to kill the Ochi when they come down from the hills.
Then Maxim’s daughter, Yuri, finds a young abandoned Ochi. She decides she must return the young Ochi to their home in the hills. Yuri heads to the hills with her father and the boys in hot pursuit.
This story is decent, and the scenery is interesting. The story is decent, but only decent. This is a film to watch on a rainy Saturday afternoon when you are stuck at home and don’t want to watch sports. The best I can go is 3 stars.
Director: Isaiah Saxon
Cast: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, and Willem Dafoe
MPAA Rating: PG (for violent content, a bloody image, smoking, thematic elements and some language)
Selig Rating: 3 Stars
Runtime: 96 Min.
Release Date: 04/25/2025
Language: English
Genre: Adventure/Family/Fantasy/Teen Fantasy
Trailer: THE LEGEND OF OCHI Official Trailer
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
