A film review by Kate Erbland for IndieWire on May 7, 2026.
There is much to admire about Olivia Newman’s Where the Crawdads Sing follow-up Remarkably Bright Creatures, another film adaptation of a beloved (and bestselling) novel. There’s Sally Field, in a role that has already earned her awards accolades,
and a massive octopus voiced by Alfred Molina. There’s a crowd of
chatty best pals that include Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, and Beth Grant.
There are actual locations (a sea that is a sea! what an idea!). There’s Lewis Pullman, continuing to work his own dad’s (Bill Pullman's) charming everyman appeal.
And there’s something increasingly rare (yes, even more rare than Alfred
Molina voicing a huge sea creature): a book-to-film adaptation that
actually adapts the material, and does not just crib blindly
from the original. Fans of Van Pelt’s novel might balk at what Newman
and co-writer John Whittington have snipped from her story (huge
apologies to Pullman’s character’s early backstory and his beloved aunt,
similar regrets to Field’s character’s brother), but the trims that run
throughout the film are smart and useful. They serve the story, yes,
but also its new shape as a film.
And, as a film, this tear-jerking story about giant sea creatures, broken
people, and huge secrets works well enough. Much like Van Pelt’s novel,
it’s a cozy little drama with twists and turns that feel both
inevitable and delightful. It’s all bolstered by Field and Pullman’s
performances, which crackle with chemistry and good choices,
nothing big or showy here. If you’re looking for a pick for the entire
family, this is a solid one, and that’s no small feat in the crammed
streaming world, where it can too often feel as if there’s plenty of content but nothing that feels actually made for people.
Or octopuses! At the center of the story is Molina’s tentacled avatar, Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus who has lived most of his life at the cozy and clean Sowell Bay Aquarium, located near Puget Sound. Many of the details of Marcellus’ life — like how he came to be rescued — will be revealed later, but his primary characteristic is on full display from the start. Marcellus is really, really smart, which Molina imparts via a wry and world-weary voice-over. In Van Pelt’s book, Marcellus gets his own chapters to share his story and observations, and transferring these bits into a consistent voice-over narration is yet another example of this smart scripting.
Marcellus is, in fact, smart enough that he’s figured out how to get out of his tank, explore (read: eat some of his fellow aquarium residents), and get back in without anyone noticing. But Marcellus is growing older, so his assignations are getting slower, and the consequences of his ramblings are getting worse. Thankfully, he has at least one other creature he can trust: Field’s Tova, the aquarium’s dedicated overnight cleaner, who shares a dream of the sea that even Marcellus can deduce.
Or, as he tell us: they both dream of the bottom of the sea and what we lost there. For Marcellus, it was his freedom. For Tova, it was her beloved only son, Erik.
That Marcellus knows that, that Tova has told him about it, is the crux of the story. If you can not only buy that, but delight in it, Remarkably Bright Creatures is very much for you. (It was very much for me.)
Tova’s existence is about to be upended by the arrival of another
flighty young man. Cameron Cassmore (Pullman) lands in Sowell Bay,
convinced his unknown father not only lives there, but is wildly rich
and perhaps interested in meeting the kid he never knew he had. Finding
him, however, is proving tricky, and the perpetually down-on-his-luck
Cameron sure needs a job in the interim. Thank God that most people in
Sowell Bay, like local grocery story owner Ethan (Colm Meaney) are so
happy to welcome outsiders. Thank God also that Tova just sustained a
minor injury (she slipped while helping Marcellus, but no one can know
that) and her gig at the aquarium needs a temp fill-in. Thank God he’s
about to meet Marcellus.
Oh, and he’s still about to meet Tova.
Despite this rambling semi-introduction, Newman’s film makes quick work
of all of this, recognizing that getting to the Tova-and-Cameron show
(with, of course, many guest appearances by Marcellus) is the entire
point of the picture. As Cameron adjusts to life in Sowell Bay (more
bonding with Ethan, who is a little hung up on Tova, plus his own
potential romance with Avery, played by a peppy Sofia Black-D’Elia),
Tova starts to inch her way out of it.
The pains and pleasures of family life are top of mind for her.
Widowed, heartbroken, and left rattling around the house her own father
built (the film has a real sense of place, both out in the town and
inside the aquarium and Tova’s home), Tova is preparing to decamp for a retirement home across the bay. Everyone — including smitten Ethan
and her rowdy pack of pals — think this is a bad idea. What, however,
will become most important is what Cameron thinks, and what part he
comes to play in Tova’s life.
The film does occasionally lean on flashbacks of Tova and her long-gone son Erik to fill in some blanks — and lay out some real winking table-setting — but Remarkably Bright Creatures fares better when Tova or Cameron are telling their woes to Marcellus or even each other. Zippy, smart editing moves us through the story, drawing connections where necessary, bolstered by that old octopus voice-over, and gently guiding us to some major plot points.
Never fear, book lovers, the film sticks firmly to its late act
upheavals and revelations, and even manages to make them feel richer and
more earned here. Maybe it’s something about seeing Sally
Field bond with an octopus, or watching a true inter-generational
friendship blossom on screen, or maybe it’s just something more obvious:
taking the best parts of a sweet story, and paring it down to its best
bits. Or, well, best arms? Tentacles? Whatever can reach out and touch
you, just as this film will. (Erbland's rating: B)
Labels: drama
IMDb 79/100
MetaCritic (critics=56, viewers=45)
RottenTomatoes (critics=79, viewers=91)
Netflix
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