Rating 6/10
Remarkably Bright Creatures bears the unmistakable hallmarks of a very specific kind of Netflix movie. Before I ever pressed play, it looked like an inspirational tearjerker blessed with the comforting presence of Sally Field, doing her best to elevate the kind of accessible story that Netflix specializes in. And honestly? My impression was pretty spot on. This, based on a bestselling novel by Shelby Van Pelt, is indeed a soft, sentimental drama perfect for streaming.
In the sleepy coastal town of Sowell Bay, Washington, lives Tova Sullivan (Sally Field). The widowed older woman still works nights cleaning the local aquarium long after most people think she should have retired. Tova keeps to a rigid routine while carrying the grief of her son’s mysterious disappearance decades earlier. Her closest companion, oddly enough, becomes Marcellus, an intelligent but rather pompous aging giant Pacific octopus voiced by Alfred Molina.
Cameron (Lewis Pullman) is a charming but directionless young drifter. He’s a guitarist in a struggling musical act called Moth Sausage. I can see why they haven’t exactly taken off. Rename your band, for starters. He’s searching for clues about the father who abandoned him as a child. Stranded in Sowell Bay after his van breaks down and his money runs out, Cameron reluctantly takes a job at the local marine center. Tova initially finds him immature and unreliable. As the two spend more time together, they form a surrogate mother-son bond.
Given the title, I figured the focus would be the sea creature. Marcellus is a smug, almost arrogant personality who constantly escapes the confines of his tank. He likes to explore, observe the humans around him, and quietly manipulate events. He notices connections between characters long before they do and pieces together the mysteries weighing upon our two protagonists. He even narrates the fable, functioning like a magical observer nudging everyone toward healing and closure. Unfortunately, it’s the humans who dominate the proceedings. Sally Field and Lewis Pullman do what they can to humanize their characters, but their story is fairly predictable, save perhaps for one surprise.
Marcellus should have been the star, but he becomes less important as the whole thing unfolds. The creative team used real footage of a giant Pacific octopus named Agnetha at the Vancouver Aquarium whenever possible. Nevertheless, the more elaborate escape scenes required a digital cephalopod. To its credit, the CGI creation is effective. Watching him squeeze through tiny crevices, get tangled in computer cables in a nearby office, or slither back into his tank is surprisingly more believable than it sounds.
The plot of a lonely cleaning lady becoming close with an aquatic creature kept in captivity sounds eerily similar to Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. Thankfully, her interest remains strictly platonic in this saga. This is not some twisted fantasy but a sweet-hearted tale about grief, loneliness, and finding connection in unexpected places. Having said that, the way things play out is a bit saccharine and didn’t fully resonate with me as the filmmakers clearly intended.
There’s an audience for this. If you already loved the book or enjoy treacly comfort dramas, then Remarkably Bright Creatures should hit the spot. I can’t say I’d enthusiastically recommend it. However, I also can’t deny that the movie has a sincerity that makes it hard to actively dislike. If you’re scrolling Netflix looking for something gentle to watch with your mom on a quiet night, it should satisfy that mood.