The Legend of Ochi feels like a spiritual successor to the fantastical adventure flicks of the 1980s, with a heartfelt story and some incredible practical effects. There’s some peril here that might be too intense for younger viewers. And language, while brief, is harsh for a PG movie. Despite those issues, The Legend of Ochi delivers a hopeful story about the mending of broken families.
Life on the secluded isle of Carpathia is not for the fainthearted.
The weather is harsh. The land is rugged. Islanders scrape and claw to make a living. They must contend with wolves, bears and … something else. See, there are creatures that dwell in the dark forests and misty mountains of Carpathia. Fearsome beasts which prey on the villagers’ livestock and have the strength to tear a man limb from limb.
The Ochi.
For as long as anyone can remember, the residents of Carpathia have been at odds with these mysterious, near-mythical animals. As a result, the villagers grew as hard and implacable as their island’s terrain. They took to hunting the Ochi, the cause of the Carpathians’ misfortunes.
Yuri, a young teenager, has lived her whole life on Carpathia. Raised by her father, Maxim, she’s always been told that the Ochi are the reason her mother went missing years ago. She was raised to fear and hate the creatures just like everyone else.
But that was before she found a wounded Ochi in the woods, caught in one of her father’s traps. And not a fierce, hulking, full-grown creature—but a baby, no bigger than a housecat.
Yuri feels lied to. This is no savage beast, as her father would attest, but an intelligent, even friendly, creature. She brings it home and tends its wound. Eventually, she decides to return the baby to its family on the other side of the island. Maybe she’ll even find her missing mother somewhere along the way. So, Yuri sets off in the night, with the baby Ochi clinging to her shoulder.
But Maxim isn’t eager to let his only daughter wander off into the Carpathian wilderness, not with dangerous animals like the Ochi about.
He’ll get her back, whatever it takes …
Yuri shows great compassion for the baby Ochi and is willing to risk life and limb to return the creature to its mother. While Maxim can be overbearing, he truly loves Yuri and wants to keep her safe. He also took another character, Petro, into his home after the boy was orphaned. Dasha, Yuri’s mother, comes to her daughter’s aid when she is in need.
Family members reconcile and support one another. Someone states that “a father’s treasure is his daughter.” A character acts bravely to stop someone from shooting an innocent creature.
Ultimately, The Legend of Ochi ends on a heartfelt and hopeful note.
Throughout the film, there are hints that The Legend of Ochi holds a dubious view of religious faith. The most devout character, Maxim, is also portrayed for much of the runtime as militant, ignorant and unyielding. The sight of the village’s towering Christian church is juxtaposed with narration about superstition and the slow advance of modernity on Carpathia. While the film makes no outright statement against Christianity (or religion in general), the examples listed above seemed like intentional choices on the part of the filmmakers.
When he thinks he’s found Yuri, Maxim gives thanks to God. Maxim listens to a recording that seems to draw from the biblical books of Ezekiel and Isaiah.
We see the interior of a church, which seems Catholic or Orthodox in appearance, and a priest there wears intricate vestments. Someone talks about seeing “the devil dancing” and references the “throne of sin.” A woman describes the special way the Ochi communicate as a “kind of miracle.” Someone peruses a book titled Beasts and Demons.
In her room, Yuri has a poster for a death metal band called Hell’s Throne.
Maxim tells Dasha that he “never stopped loving [her].” (It’s clear she doesn’t feel the same way.) Later, an anguished Maxim advises Petro not to fall in love, lest his heart be broken as well. A man speaks of a special song that he shared with his wife.
Yuri’s journey into the wilderness is fraught with peril—some of which is self-inflicted. In a moment of panic, she steals a car, but a wheel falls off and leads to a crash. A creature bites Yuri, and the wound becomes infected; the flesh of her arm turns blue and swollen. She tries to use leeches as a remedy. Later, a woman gives her an antidote by injecting her with a large needle—it looks painful. Yuri falls into a deep hole and gets knocked unconscious. She and the baby Ochi fall into a river and are swept away by the current.
The baby Ochi is separated from its mother. Members of Maxim’s troop (which, it must be noted, are all children) shoot at the creature as it clings to a tree. Trees are set alight to force the Ochi from hiding. When Yuri discovers the baby Ochi, it has been caught in a trap, and we see its bloody leg. It also causes panic in a grocery store; people shoot at the Ochi (with Yuri nearby).
Dasha tells Yuri that returning the baby Ochi to its family would result in her “certain and unpleasant death.” We learn that Dasha lost her arm as the result of an Ochi bite. Dasha and Maxim get into a tussle.
A man falls into a pile of timber and injures his leg; we see some blood. An Ochi is shot. Another Ochi tackles a boy in Maxim’s troop. Maxim gives Yuri a knife, saying, “It’s a killer.” We see a few sheep that the Ochi have killed. We hear that a person’s parents were killed by the creatures. An older boy holds another in a headlock. A window is smashed with a grocery cart. A book contains a bloody illustrated image.
Four s-words are used. We hear two misuses of God’s name, including one paired with “d—.” Someone says “p-ss.” A woman is called a “witch.”
People smoke cigarettes.
As mentioned above, Yuri puts herself into (some might say unnecessary) danger when she runs away from home. She has a strained relationship with her father, and a nonexistent one with her mother. Maxim tells his daughter that Dasha “doesn’t want you.” Dasha, on the other hand, says that Maxim kept her from Yuri, but that doesn’t seem to be completely true either. While on her journey, Yuri expresses disdain for her parents.
A character believes that the Ochi will reject their baby even if Yuri is able to return it to them, as it will have “the stink of Man on it.” When Yuri visits the grocery store for supplies, she eats and drinks items pulled directly from the shelves, with no intention of paying for them. She (briefly) steals a car. A character eats insects and picks a booger from her nose. (Unfortunately, we get an extended look at it.)
Maxim lies about the Ochi kidnapping Yuri to motivate his troop.
The Legend of Ochi feels like a spiritual successor to the fantastical adventure movies of the 1980s, blending elements of Gremlins, E.T. and Goonies, among others. For such a modestly budgeted film (by Hollywood standards, at least), there is some serious technical wizardry going on here. The fictional isle of Carpathia is beautifully realized through a mix of real-life locations, subtle computer animation and matte paintings. The production design is first-rate. A cadre of talented puppeteers bring the Ochi to life with practical magic, getting you to invest in its creatures. (Dare I say it, the baby Ochi even rivals Baby Yoda in its adorableness.)
But there are some content issues found within this throwback adventure.
Like its 1980s precursors, The Legend of Ochi has a harder edge than its PG rating would indicate. There is violence and peril, and younger viewers may find some scenes too intense. Language is brief but harsh. And, while not overt, a negative connotation can be drawn from how the film juxtaposes religious faith with backwards superstition.
So, does The Legend of Ochi qualify as a “family film,” as some have suggested?
I think so, as long as you keep those caveats in mind for your family.
There’s a fairy-tale feel to The Legend of Ochi—albeit perhaps more Brothers Grimm than Disney. Families will have to discern if their younger kids can handle the movie’s gloomy and intense moments. But for those who do choose to watch, The Legend of Ochi is an endearing adventure that delivers hopeful and hard-won messages on the importance of family.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
