Title: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Actors: Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Colm Meaney
Director: Olivia Newman
Writers: Shelby van Pelt, Olivia Newman
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Length: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Watch this movie on Netflix

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Tova, an elderly woman who cleans the local aquarium, needs extra help after an accident makes her job more difficult. Meanwhile, Cameron Cassmore is searching for his father, but with little success. In the meantime, he takes a cleaning job at the aquarium.

Tova teaches Cameron everything he needs to know, including the fact that he should keep an eye on Marcellus, the octopus who enjoys sneaking out of his tank for nighttime adventures.

Marcellus is old, and he knows the end of his life is approaching. After witnessing Tova’s accident, the octopus becomes determined to do one last thing before he dies: help heal Tova. And the new cleaning guy might just be the key to making that happen.

Review

This movie is based on the book by Shelby Van Pelt, which had been on my wishlist for a while. At the same time, I wasn’t entirely sure if it would be my kind of story, even though I had heard nothing but positive reviews and knew it had an amazing rating on Goodreads. So instead, I decided to watch the movie adaptation first.

And honestly… I don’t even know where to begin. This might be one of the best Netflix Originals I’ve seen in a long time. I usually check out most of Netflix’s new releases, but they often end up being average or sometimes just bad. Then, on rare occasions like this, you come across something truly special.

The cast was wonderful. Sally Field was phenomenal, and I also really loved Lewis Pullman’s performance. Honestly, everyone in this movie did an amazing job. The casting felt perfect.

The story itself was beautiful and emotional. I had expected it to be a slow-paced movie, which was actually one of the reasons I hesitated to read the book in the first place, but it never felt slow to me. From the very beginning, I was completely invested in the story.

I especially loved how Marcellus, the octopus, tried to heal Tova and fill the emptiness in her heart. Tova has been through so much, and Marcellus makes it his final mission to help her find a little happiness again. The bond between Tova and Marcellus was truly special and one of the most heartwarming parts of the movie.

The ending made me cry. Honestly, I think I saw it coming, but that didn’t stop me from crying hard. I’m not even going to deny it. I also don’t want to explain exactly why it made me emotional because I don’t want to spoil too much, but the ending beautifully combines sadness, love, and family.

If you’re looking for a movie to watch during your next movie night, I highly recommend this one. It’s a beautiful, heartwarming drama, and I genuinely loved everything about it. I honestly couldn’t find a single thing I disliked. The acting was amazing, the story was amazing, and the emotional moments felt incredibly real.

We definitely need more movies and stories like this.

Even though I watched the movie before reading the book, and therefore can’t compare the two, I still absolutely want to read the book someday.

The post Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026) | Movie Review first appeared on A happy life.

<p>The post Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026) | Movie Review first appeared on A happy life.</p>