Remarkably Bright Creatures Film Review

Olivia Newman’s Remarkably Bright Creatures is a heartfelt and emotional drama about family, loss, freedom and joy.

It’s an interesting choice, and one that allows Remarkably Bright Creatures to at least appear to be more profound than the average Netflix drama. The end result is an emotional experience that, I assume, will satisfy book readers and cinephiles alike.

The movie starts with a voiceover narration by what I gather to be the consciousness of Marcellus the Octopus (voiced by Alfred Molina, of Spider-Man: No Way Home), who has been rescued by marine biologists and taken to an aquarium in a small seaside town. There, he sort of befriends cleaning lady Tova Sullivan (Sally Field, of Lincoln), who tries to escape from the world (and even her small group of friends) by working the night shift. She’s a widow, and she still misses both her husband and her teenage son, the latter having suffered from an untimely and tragic death years earlier.

Things change for her, though, with the arrival of young Cameron (Lewis Pullman, of Thunderbolts*), who has arrived at the town looking for a rich real estate developer who, apparently, owes him some money. After his van breaks down, he ends up befriending local shop owner Ethan Mack (the always reliable Colm Meaney, of Bring Them Down), and sets his eyes on young entrepreneur Avery (Sofia Black D’Elia, of To All the Boys: Always and Forever). But after Tova twists her ankle and Cameron ends up replacing her (temporarily) at her job, he also befriends her, and thus an unlikely and ultimately potent bond starts to form.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is all about characters finding their way. It’s about Cameron looking for a new life path, trying to forget about his drug addict mother and the father who abandoned him, and looking ahead. It’s about Tova overcoming the memory of her dead son and leaving the past behind, some of which is represented by the house she lives in, and her son’s room, which she never dares to enter. And, believe it or not, it’s about Marcellus the Octopus going home for the last time, escaping captivity and, according to his voiceover, helping the humans who accompany him in his solitude.

Marcellus is, of course, what makes Remarkably Bright Creatures special, and it serves as a metaphor for the internal conflicts each of the humans is trying to overcome. His point of view is frequently fascinating, as he describes people as lacking in communication skills and, in general, as quite boring beings. Still, he sees in Tova and Cameron two souls who need help and who, much like him, are looking for a way out of a prison. In the octopus’s case, it’s a literal one, but in the humans’ case, it’s a metaphorical one.

Nevertheless, the film never loses sight of its human protagonists, using the octopus to complement the central characterisations. This results in a voiceover narration that, unfortunately, can be too expositional. It would have been more powerful if we could have simply perceived the way Tova and Cameron’s character arcs were being developed through Field and Pullman’s acting, rather than having Alfred Molina spell it all out. It’s not something that manages to ruin either the story or the film’s emotional core, but it’s certainly bothersome. And it does feel like a studio note; like a resource that had to be included in case people at home weren’t paying attention.

The performances are in sync with the film’s sincere tone, and manage to turn these characters into living, breathing human beings. Sally Field is, as always, excellent, playing Tova as a well-meaning older woman who, through her work and her friendship with Cameron, tries to get over her past tragedies. It’s a heartfelt and very humane performance, all the more believable considering she has a bunch of scenes in which she talks to a CG octopus. For his part, Lewis Pullman is a bit more subtle as Cameron, playing him like a rather shy young man who doesn’t really seem to know what to do with his life. 

The secondary characters are all portrayed by actors who, despite not having a lot to do, manage to stand out. Colm Meaney is particularly good as Ethan, who isn’t mean(ey) at all, and actually develops romantic feelings for a clueless Tova. Sofia Black D’Elia is quite wasted as Avery, an intelligent young woman who takes part in a romantic (and frankly underdeveloped) subplot with Cameron. And Alfred Molina lends his gravely and imposing voice to Marcellus the Octopus, turning him into a wise presence, combining believably with the CG creation.

Remarkably Bright Creatures might not be as remarkable as it could have been, but it still works as an emotive and somewhat original drama. Its main characters are well-developed and charming, the performances are all great, and the inclusion of an octopus with the voice of Alfred Molina turns the experience into a relatively unpredictable one, using the animal’s presence as a complement to all the human drama. Remarkably Bright Creatures is never too dramatic or tragic, feeling instead like a gentle and optimistic experience. Sometimes, that’s all we need to watch at home after a long day’s work.

Remarkably Bright Creatures will be available to stream globally on Netflix from May 8, 2026.