Remarkably Bright Creatures Review: An incredible film adaptation

Brighton Nelson

08 May 2026 — 4 min read

My grandma just moved in from out of state, and I've been helping her set up her new bookshelf. As I opened Banker's box after Banker's box, I saw a really cute book I wanted to read! So, imagine my shock when I hopped on Netflix and saw "Remarkably Bright Creatures, new on Netflix today!" or whatever it said specifically. The film was also charting #1! From seeing the cute book on the shelf to being hyped to witness the story as a movie, did this movie live up to my lofty expectations and excitement? That's what I, Brighton Nelson of The Reel Ranker, will discuss in today's review. Thanks so much for joining me here on the site, and I hope you enjoy this article!

From a debut female novelist to a rising female director, this whole project is just so amazing.

As always, let's get the negatives out of the way really quick, and then we'll move into the good stuff. The only negative I've got with this film is that the plot twist became a little too apparent too early, and the way it was revealed was quite rushed, though it was good. All that being said, an A- execution of a plot twist is still an A-, and not something worth lowering the score of a movie for.

That's all I've got on the negative side of this film, because this is such a heartwarming movie, and one of my favorite films of the year so far. The first thing I have to note is how wonderful the acting is in this movie. Sally Field is an amazing actress, and she is flawless in her role as a lonely old woman who talks to sea creatures and cleans an aquarium for a living. Equally excellent is Lewis Pullman, who continues to demonstrate his prowess as an actor capable of playing very different roles magnificently.

An adorable novel, an equally adorable movie.

The supporting actors and actresses also do a great job in their roles! The characters in this film feel so down-to-earth and alive, neither unnecessarily dull nor overly melodramatic. The best of the bunch is Alfred Molina's second iconic octopus role, and his voice performance as Marcellus, the octo narrator of the whole film, was so wonderful that it made me grin, tear up, and everything in between.

The film's story is really simple, yet effective. It wasn't at all what I was expecting from a film about an octopus, being so grounded and emotional and all. While it didn't play out the way I expected in the first five minutes or so, it shattered those expectations and turned out to be something so much better.

Many critics will beg to differ, but I thought Olivia Newman did a wonderful job with Where the Crawdads Sing a few years ago. Here, she brought even more emotions in this film, and she's definitely grown as a director—and I already thought she was awesome! I still need to check out her debut, First Match, but I'm pretty stoked to see what the future brings for her! She's really good at mystery films with romantic, emotional undertones, but I'd love to see her branch out!

Such a good cast! Sally Field may be getting an Oscar nomination from me at the end of the year!

The Reel Ranker Verdict

Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 95%
Letter Score: S+
Star Ranking: 5 out of 5

Remarkably Bright Creatures is yet another awesome mystery drama that's lovingly crafted by Olivia Newman. With wonderful performances, an adorably emotional story, plenty of twists, and even a dollop of romance, Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of 2026's best films.

Interested in checking out some recent reviews for mysteries and dramas? See them below!