Remarkably Bright Creatures: A character-driven charmer

Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026) • View trailer4.5 stars (out of five); rated PG-13, for brief profanity, fleeting drug use and dramatic intensityAvailable via: NetflixBy Derrick Bang Author Shelby Van Pelt must be pleased; book-to-film translations aren’t often treated with this much respect. Although Tova (Sally Field) finds it difficult to share her private anguish with anybody else,she confides everything to Marcellus, the Giant Pacific octopus who resides in theoceanarium where she works ... and he understands far more than she could imagine.Granted, director Olivia Newman’s script — co-written with John Whittington — changes some minor details, and compresses events; that’s to be expecting, when turning a 368-page book into a 111-minute movie.But the buoyant, rapturous result definitely captures the story’s heart, and all three key characters are portrayed marvelously. The supporting players also are well cast; my only complaint is that we don’t get to spend enough time with…