The Legend of Ochi
A24 | Release Date: April 18, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
EmpireA.A. DowdAug 1, 2025
The first feature from music-video director Isaiah Saxon boasts wondrous old-school creature effects, but they’ve been applied to a rather derivative fable, an eccentric but skimpy Amblin wannabe. Read full review
60
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyJul 31, 2025
So much time in The Legend of Ochi is spent traversing these beautiful landscapes looking for something to grab onto – a thought or an emotion – but there’s nothing really here other than the simple conflict between nature and the men quick to whip out their shotguns when faced with the unknown. Read full review
60
Little White LiesIsaac Feldberg Apr 23, 2025
The film is a triumph of special effects, certainly, but its narrative ambitions are more modest and predictable. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleApr 18, 2025
Writer-director Saxon’s own virtuosity, occasionally aggressive, eventually leaves our hopes for real emotions wanting, once we’ve become attuned to the dazzle. Read full review
60
The GuardianJesse HassengerApr 17, 2025
The soul of the movie isn’t particularly in the human/creature relationship at its center, but in the stunning craftsmanship that surrounds (and in the creature’s case, creates) them. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichJan 27, 2025
For a story that takes place in such a tactile and cohesive fantasy world, it’s frustrating that the archness of its telling keeps the viewer at a distance rather than pulling them closer to the heart of the matter. Read full review
50
TheWrapChase HutchinsonApr 16, 2025
It’s just that while you can’t see any of the strings being used on the effects, you can see the story being manipulated. You may fall in love with Ochi all the same, but you can only wish you’d gone on a richer journey together. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 27, 2025
For all the visual vividness, we have very little actual sense of this land, or the people who live there. Yes, The Legend of Ochi looks amazingly, impressively real, but it’s populated by non-characters pursuing a nothing story. Read full review
50
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodJan 27, 2025
Along with some truly breathtaking visuals, the pint-size Ochi is the best part of Saxon’s long-in-the-works opus. Read full review
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