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Remarkably Bright Creatures
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Remarkably Bright Creatures

Brighter together.

2026 114 min ★ 8.4 (877) Released
Drama Mystery

Through unlikely bonds formed during night shifts at a local aquarium, Tova, an elderly widow, learns of a life-changing discovery that may bring her joy and wonder once again.

Original title
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Language
EN
Country
US
Budget
Revenue
Reviews & Ratings 2
B

badelf

Aug 13, 2026 · via TMDB

★ 7.0

**7/10: Sally Field delivers a career-highlight performance that transcends the film's otherwise conventional craft, turning a potentially saccharine premise into something genuinely moving about loss, solitude, and second chances.** The opening moments are a whimsy that feels pitched to a younger demographic. But give Olivia Newman's adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt's novel twenty minutes to settle into itself, and what emerges is something genuinely affecting: a meditation on aging, youth, loss, love, and the unlikely connections that allow us to forgive ourselves and each other. Sally Field anchors the film with the kind of lived-in performance that reminds you why she's collected two Oscars and a lifetime of respect. She plays Tova, a widow still haunted by her son's disappearance decades earlier, who works night shifts at a small-town aquarium and finds solace in solitude. Field doesn't traffic in sentiment; she finds the specific rhythms of this particular grief, the way it's calcified over years into something that structures her life unconsciously. Watch her hands as she cleans the tanks, or the way she holds her body at a slight remove from the younger staff; this is an actress who understands that her craft is physical, not just emotional. The film's central conceit is a voiced octopus named Marcellus who observes, judges, and ultimately helps orchestrate the narrative's resolution. Alfred Molina voices the cephalopod with dry wit and surprising pathos, and to Newman's credit, she doesn't oversell the device. The octopus is not magical surrealism here. He is a literary device, a witness who sees what the human characters cannot or will not. Lewis Pullman does what he can with a character arc that's been rushed to fit the film format, never quite earning its emotional beats. The script, by Newman and John Whittington, brings him into Tova's orbit through a series of contrivances that feel precisely that: contrived. Yet Pullman finds grace notes in the margins, moments of depth the writing doesn't fully explore. He and Field have a late-film scene that transcends the material through the sheer commitment of two fine actors. Whittington's screenplay deserves credit for balancing comedy and heartbreak without collapsing into bathos. There are genuine laughs here, many courtesy of Marcellus' observations, and the writing understands that loss and humor often coexist in real life. The movie's themes ultimately land with respect for the audience's intelligence. But here's where the film stumbles: Newman, who showed real visual ambition with *Where the Crawdads Sing*, opts for safe. The cinematography is competent but uninspired, the kind of standard-issue Hollywood warmth that signals "Hallmark drama" without ever taking risks. The aquarium, the small town, and the cabin setting offer opportunities for visual poetry such as the play of light through and on water, the way glass separates and connects us, but the film rarely capitalizes on these possibilities. It looks good; it just isn't distinctive or creative. This matters because the story itself traffics in the extraordinary: an octopus as moral agent, a decades-old mystery, the slow combustion of human connection across generational divides. The material is brave, but the execution is merely professional. You can feel Newman respecting the source material, honoring the performances, hitting her marks; and yet never quite trusting herself to make something audacious enough to match the narrative's ambitions. Field, on the other hand, elevates everything around her. She always has. There's a moment late in the film where she learns something that re-contextualizes her entire adult life, and Field plays it not as revelation but as a kind of terrible relief, the way some truths arrive less as shock than as confirmation that the gods are on our side. It's masterclass work, the kind that makes you wish the film surrounding her was half as fearless.

Zeus

Zeus

May 28, 2026 · via TMDB

★ 9.0

#Mymuvir3 #RemakablyBrightCreatures2026 #688 9/10 stars review ratings #SallyField #LewisPullman #ColmMeaney #Marcellus (Octopus Voice) One of those movie whether you really hate it or love it. In this case its more to the earlier I suppose. Set up on an ordinary life of a lady ,, an aquarium keeper and yes the miracle starts from there. One of the great acting from Sally Field and thats not even an exaggeration. Its a 9/10 stars review ratings from me and it is well deserve hwen the whole story form up.

User reviews courtesy of TMDB.

Keywords 9
adoring aquarium based on young adult novel british columbia complex fictional town loss of child octopus washington
Streaming
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Cast 32
Sally Field

Sally Field

Tova Sullivan

Lewis Pullman

Lewis Pullman

Cameron Cassmore

Colm Meaney

Colm Meaney

Ethan Mack

Alfred Molina

Alfred Molina

Marcellus (voice)

Joan Chen

Joan Chen

Janice Kim

Kathy Baker

Kathy Baker

Mary Ann Minetti

Beth Grant

Beth Grant

Barb Vanderhoof

Sofia Black-D'Elia

Sofia Black-D'Elia

Avery

Brandon McEwan

Brandon McEwan

Teenage Erik

Donald Sales

Donald Sales

Terry

Mapuana Makia

Mapuana Makia

Jessica Snell

Laura Harris

Laura Harris

Andie

Anthony Harrison

Anthony Harrison

Sheriff

Dan Payne

Dan Payne

Adam Wright

Shauna Johannesen

Shauna Johannesen

Eliza Wright

Chris William Martin

Chris William Martin

Simon Brinks

David Parent

David Parent

Police Officer

Michael Delleva

Michael Delleva

Tanner

Duncan Fraser

Duncan Fraser

Ex-Cop

Noah Craig

Noah Craig

Marco

Kareem Malcolm

Kareem Malcolm

Host

Andres Joseph

Andres Joseph

Brad

Katie Findlay

Katie Findlay

Liz

Arielle Tuliao

Arielle Tuliao

Field Trip Teacher

Ezra Wilson

Ezra Wilson

Kevin

Sasha Williams

Sasha Williams

Mother

Michael Karl Richards

Michael Karl Richards

Will

Miles Marthaller

Miles Marthaller

5/6 Year Old Erik

Kingston Goodjohn

Kingston Goodjohn

9 Year Old Cameron

Meghan Heffern

Meghan Heffern

Young Tova

Michael Adamthwaite

Michael Adamthwaite

Fisherman

Tim Howe

Tim Howe

Man on Keyboard

Crew 19
Dave Beamish

Dave Beamish

Location Scout

Ashley Connor

Ashley Connor

Director of Photography

Braden Haggerty

Braden Haggerty

Underwater Camera

Jennifer Clarke

Jennifer Clarke

Stunt Coordinator

Olivia Newman

Olivia Newman

Director

Ashley Lambert

Ashley Lambert

ADR Voice Casting

Ranjani Brow

Ranjani Brow

ADR Voice Casting

Mary Vernieu

Mary Vernieu

Casting

Erika Hampson

Erika Hampson

Executive Producer

Olivia Newman

Olivia Newman

Executive Producer

Bryan Unkeless

Bryan Unkeless

Producer

Peter Craig

Peter Craig

Producer

Erika Hampson

Erika Hampson

Unit Production Manager

Season Kent

Season Kent

Music Supervisor

Dickon Hinchliffe

Dickon Hinchliffe

Orchestrator

Dickon Hinchliffe

Dickon Hinchliffe

Original Music Composer

Kevin O'Connell

Kevin O'Connell

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

John Whittington

John Whittington

Screenplay

Olivia Newman

Olivia Newman

Screenplay

Gallery 148
Videos 3
Similar Movies 189
US Release Dates 1

May 8, 2026

Netflix

PG-13 Digital

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1978

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Battle your watched movies head-to-head

Community Top Movies

🥇 Evil Dead II

Evil Dead II

1987 · 14 wins

🥈 The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

2008 · 14 wins

🥉 Final Destination

Final Destination

2000 · 12 wins

#4 Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick

2022 · 11 wins

#5 Joker

Joker

2019 · 11 wins

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Movie Trivia

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What movie experience do you prefer?

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