Among the highly anticipated book-to-screen adaptations to arrive on the 2026 movie schedule, Remarkably Bright Creatures had a lot to live up to. Fans of the book and newcomers to the story alike caught the new Netflix movie when it arrived this weekend, and there are big reactions about the emotional story, including a lot -- I mean, a lot -- of tears.
Olivia Newman's Remarkably Bright Creatures is based on the massively popular 2022 novel by Shelby Van Pelt, and is a blend of drama, mystery and magical realism, following the crossed paths of a grieving woman, a man searching for his father, and an observant octopus living in captivity at an aquarium in Washington state. The story is emotional, to say the least, so it's unsurprising that some of the internet's biggest reactions are tears. We know what the critics have said about the movie, now let's look at what the internet thinks:
A Lot Of Tears
Listen, I read the book, so even though there were some big changes with the movie, I knew where the story was going, and was still a crying mess toward the end of the movie. Not only do I not judge the people who checked in about their tears online, I'm honestly grateful not to be alone:
- "when i was watching remarkably bright creatures earlier and got to this scene my sister walked in on me f***ing Crying my eyes out and i was trying so hard to act cool about it like there weren’t tears actively streaming down my face." -- @doveyblues on X (about the scene on the dock near the end.)
- "Already read the book, which was great. But the movie of Remarkably Bright Creatures was so full of emotion, and had me sobbing just like My Octopus Teacher. 🐙" -- @deedotk.bsky.social
- "Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, go watch Remarkably Bright Creatures right NOW! BEST movie I've seen in many years! I won't lie, I cried so hard and ugly I was snorting. But I'll tell you this, I want to watch it again and again (it's that incredible😭😭😭😭)" -- @jennibean74 on Threads.
- "Watched "Remarkably Bright Creatures" with my mom. So good! 😭🐙" - @heybleau.bsky.social
- "Well Sally Field has done it again. I'm sobbing after watching @netflix Remarkably Bright Creatures. Such a good movie. I love the life lessons of this movie. Lewis Pullman is so good in it too. I will definitely be watching this again and maybe not go through a box of tissues!" -- @whobugs on X
- "If you have Netflix, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a must watch…..make sure you have the tissue box close by." -- @cheeto61 on Threads
- "Well, this movie f---ing wrecked me. 😭" -- @wieloch2 on Threads
Book Fans Weighed In
Remarkably Bright Creatures has more than a million ratings on GoodReads, and presently holds a 4.36. If you're a regular on GR, you know that this is a very impressive score, especially given the enormous amount of ratings it's received. Suffice to say, the bar was set high for this film. As I mentioned, there were plenty of differences between the book and the movie, and while some seemed to love the movie, others were not impressed:
- "Absolutely loved Remarkably Bright Creatures, read the book first, Sally Field is perfect." -- @fisheyeview.bsky.social
- "@netflix you absolutely butchered Remarkably Bright Creatures 😒it's so out of sequence and choppy. The magic of the book wasn't captured 😟 So disappointing." -- @goducksgirl on X
- "I just saw the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures. I did really like the movie but the book was so great. I knew it would be a tall order to try to adapt the book and especially Marcellus into a movie. I would recommend the movie to any movie fan. I would recommend the book to every human." -- @claymiller12.bsky.social
- "Remarkably bright creatures was my favorite read of 2025 and I just watched the movie and it does the book right. Sobbed through both. Just delightful 10/10" -- @Bran_John99 on X
- "Everyone should go and watch “Remarkably Bright Creatures” on Netflix. I ready the book, loved it, and the movie is - gasp - better. It’s perfection. It will make your day." -- @Kgadi_yaMoloto on X
Reactions About The Cast
The scene between Tova and Cameron on the dock solidified my opinion that the movie was perfectly cast. Sally Field and Lewis Pullman really had to share the weight of that scene in perfect balance for it to hit as hard as it did, and as far as I'm concerned, they nailed it. Viewers had thoughts on their performances, along with Alfred Molina's voice performance as Marcellus:
- "God I love Sally Field. Remarkably Bright Creatures is a great movie." -- @lonelyzoner on X
- "Alfred Molina as Marcellus is sublime! When I read Remarkably Bright Creatures, I thought of his voice! And Lewis Pullman and Sally Field, perfect for Cameron and Tova respectively." -- @RealKathJL on X
- "No, you're crying at a film featuring a CGI octopus with an internal monologue voiced by Alfred Molina. Films that feel like a warm hug seem to have become rare since the 90s but Remarkably Bright Creatures fills that gap wonderfully. Sally Field is an angel. Lewis Pullman is beautiful." @bradflint.bsky.social
- "Really enjoyed “Remarkably Bright Creatures” on Netflix tonight. Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Alfred Molina (Marcellus the Octopus), heck-the whole cast really- all so good. Lovely movie." -- @henriettahaystack on Threads
I really loved Field, Pullman and Molina's performances, but I'll close this out by shouting out the supporting cast, including Colm Meaney, Kathy Baker, Joan Chen, Sofia Black-D'Elia and the great Beth Grant. Each of them brought something wonderful to this adaptation.
