Reel Review: The Legend of Ochi

The mystery movie last night was The Legend of Ochi, and to say I was disappointed is an understatement. The Legend of Ochi is a visually confused mess that’s trying too hard to be profound but ends up flat and boring. The movie reminds me of 80s fantasy movies such as E.T. and The Dark Crystal, minus magic. The narrative meanders along aimlessly with no direction, and the characters are so poorly developed that you cannot even recall their names midway. The pacing is excruciatingly slow, and when something finally does occur, it’s either predictable or nonsensical. World-building is forced as if someone took fantasy clichés and mashed them together without any idea why they did. Even the music, attempting to be epic, comes across as loud and hollow. It’s a trudge from beginning to end,” pretentious for no reason. My sole positives are creature design, puppetry, and location. It’s beautiful to look at, but it’s style without substance. Save your time and give this one a miss. Overall, I gave it a 3.8 out of 10.