Remarkably Bright Creatures

by Aprille Hanson-Spivey

Photo: Netflix

Director: Olivia Newman
Starring: Sally Field, Lewis Pullman & Alfred Molina 
Rated: PG-13 (thematic material, language & brief drug use)
Runtime: 1 hour & 51 minutes

The movie adaptation of “Remarkably Bright Creatures” had an ocean-sized task in front of it — capture the wittiness and curmudgeonly attitude of giant Pacific octopus Marcellus, the self-isolating rough edges of Tova and the brokenness of Cameron. I believe director Olivia Newman and Netflix achieved it, but it is only an Arctic Ocean-sized accomplishment, not the Pacific Ocean-vastness of where the film is set. 

Based on the 2022 debut New York Times bestselling novel by Shelby Van Pelt, “Remarkably Bright Creatures” came to life over an hour and 51 minutes on Netflix. At the helm was the incredible Sally Field as the 70-year-old widow, Tova Sullivan, who works as the night janitor in an aquarium, befriending the CGI octopus Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina). She lost her husband two years prior, which has compounded the years-long grief she’s carried because of the tragic death of her son, Erik. While Tova has her circle of friends — notably her knitting group, the “nitwits,” and store owner, Ethan (Colm Meaney), who wants to date her — she’s much more comfortable around the sea life at the aquarium. After the small-town gossip that ensued when Erik drowned in what was originally ruled a suicide, she retreated, much like Marcellus did in his tank when disrespectful kids would bang on his glass. 

After saving the mischievous Marcellus when he ventured out of his tank for too long, she slips and falls, making it again more apparent that it might be time to move on. She decides to go into a senior living facility and sell her home. 

Then enters Cameron Cassmore (Lewis Pullman), who is on a mission to find who he believes is his birth father, the incredibly rich real estate developer Simon Brinks (Chris William Martin), to get back pay for child support. In the movie, we’re told his mother has recently died, a bit of a departure from the book. Either way, he wasn’t given the foundational childhood to set him up for success. On the heels of his own grief, confusion and then anger when his band, Moth Sausage, breaks up, he heads to the fictional coastal town of Sowell Bay, Wash., and gets hired as Tova’s fill-in while she recovers from her fall. She tries desperately to impart her wisdom on how to do things correctly in the job, while Cameron, for a while at least, doesn’t seem to care. But the two grow to develop a mother-son bond, something they’ve been missing for so many years. 

In the movie and book, all three titular characters are grieving and searching. It rings true in the movie, but Tova is the clear main character, with her budding friendship with Cameron really taking center stage. Cameron’s backstory is sped up significantly, and much of Marcellus’ dry humor is removed. We still get a few updates as he tracks the days of his captivity, but he’s really not a main character, which was disappointing. It was entertaining and heartbreaking to go on the adventure with him in the novel, and viewers miss much of it in the movie. No offense to Molina’s voice acting, because he did capture an old-man voice for Marcellus, but actor Michael Urie was perfection in the audiobook version, speaking with a level of both irritation and tiredness that really captured Marcellus’ frustration with being in an aquarium, coupled with his understanding he’d be dying soon. It just changed the character for me. 

Marcellus is still an integral character and helps Tova and Cameron make an incredible discovery that changes their lives. 

It made total sense to streamline parts of the plot to set up the big reveal at the end of the movie, but everything felt a little rushed, particularly the love-interest storylines involving both Tova and Ethan, and Cameron and the paddle-boat shop owner, Avery. Cutting them would have been unfortunate, but rushing them wasn’t ideal either. 

Field, as expected, really embodied Tova with such heart and depth. It was a spot-on portrayal of grief and how sadness can blind a person to all the beauty and hope around them. Tova tries so hard to isolate, but she’s just not able to because she has so many people around her who love her. Eventually, she realizes how important they are in her life, particularly Cameron. 

Overall, ‘Creatures’ has so much heart, mystery and a satisfying ending. As is the case with most movie adaptations, I loved the book more. I am curious how I would have perceived the movie without reading the novel first, but I’m so glad I did read it. For Field alone, the movie is absolutely worth watching.