‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ Review: Sally Field & Lewis Pullman Bond Over A Cranky Octopus In Funny, Wise And Moving Book Adaptation

Netflix is back in the octopus business.

After winning the Best Documentary Feature Oscar for 2020’s My Octopus Teacher, the streamer has gone the narrative route with a screen adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel Remarkably Bright Creatures. Only this time the remarkably bright sea creature with nine brains, three hearts and 360-degree vision is a bit of a cranky, slippery, stuck-up character who actually narrates this story, and has no shortage of opinions about his perceived failures of the human race.

Nevertheless, as he slinks around his aquarium and wickedly comments on those looking in, we meet an octopus wise beyond his years who serves as a confidant to the seventysomething widow who cleans up his maritime showcase every night, and who he deems to be least offensive human he has encountered. Having lived a life filled with too much grief and loss, she is lonely and really only sharing her innermost thoughts and sadness with this big scaly lunk, who is named Marcellus.

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