Ron’s Review

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This book came highly recommended from none other than our mother. I diligently read it and awaited the film. I can’t say I was a huge fan of the book. I found it quite saccharine, bordering on overly-emotional. Though I did like the found family aspect of the story. And the octopus was a great character with a delightfully sarcastic sense of humour. An unusual character getting its own point of view? Sign me up!

Now, to the film. It’s not bad. I found it quite sweet at times. And there were some surprisingly hilarious moments that had me guffawing out loud. I appreciate that in a film—it’s hard to find genuine laughs these days. 

But I was disappointed in the octopus. I’m surprised that Alfred Molina voiced the octopus; there was nothing in this performance. It was so dry and humourless. The sarcasm barely scratched the surface. His voice was so melancholic and unremarkable that I didn’t even miss the octopus when it wasn’t on screen. I expected so much more from a talent like Molina.

Sally Fields is her usual self here. I feel like I’ve been watching the same performance my entire life. She’s the adorable underdog with a heart of gold who just needs to be loved. I couldn’t get past the Sally Fields of it all. But she wasn’t bad; just not different. Her scenes with the octopus were charming and fun, though. 

Lewis Pullman, or as I kept calling him, Bob, was fine. His first scene had so much overacting, it was uncomfortable, but he settled down quickly. Great chemistry with Fields and that’s crucial for this film. I do wish his face was a bit more expressive though. There were so many close ups on his face and nothing was happening. How are we supposed to tell what the character is feeling?

But the performances weren’t as much of an issue for me. They were what this film required. I felt there was too much exposition. Granted, the book had the same issue, but in a film, it makes the story drag. It’s also not very innovative.

Despite the exposition, swathes of the book are cut from the film. I was shocked at how many plots were reduced to 2-3 quick lines of dialogue. Maybe leave them out entirely, in that case?

What I did like was that a massive plot twist was kept till the end. In the book, the octopus reveals the twist partway through and I found that to be a terrible choice. The latter half of the book dragged on because the reader knew such an important plot point before the characters did. 

Fortunately, the film keeps the reveal right to the end. It makes for a much more suspenseful and impactful story.

I have to shoutout the gorgeous cinematography and the locations. Breathtakingly beautiful lakes and mountains. Location shooting has no parallel.

I didn’t mind the film; I’d even say I liked it a bit better than the book. The acting could have been better but it’s passable for this story.

Mon’s Review

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When I realized the screening was for I Swear it took me a moment to warm to it, because of all the controversy surrounding the Baftas. But, once I We both read the book after mum recommended it. It’s not a bad book, perhaps a little bit more sentimental and overwrought than I’d like. I did, however, supremely enjoy Marcellus the Octopus in the book. And really, I tuned into this film mostly for him. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures, like any book adaptation, has a lot of heavy lifting to do. Condensing a book into a mere two hours of film is never easy. Adaptations are an art, and that’s where the film struggles the most. 

I felt like I was hurtling through the story. We jump from person to person, story beat to story beat. Having read the book, I’m discombobulated by where I’m at in the story and what the dynamics are. I don’t even want to think about what the experience is like for someone who hasn’t read the book at all. 

Instead of condensing the book’s plot points, we get snippets of all of it. There could have been moments left out. There’s one scene with two—I’d argue pivotal—characters, that’s literally a forgettable plot point. 

So many characters are quashed to uni-dimensional tropes. There are love interests who are a little more fleshed out in the book. Here, they are no more than plot points. 

And yet again we have a film that criminally underuses the snarky humour and powerhouse screen presence of Joan Chen. Seriously, why can’t she get better and bigger roles when she’s always the most glamorous person on-screen? 

I can’t say I would have cast Sally Fields in the role of Tova. But she’s fun and sweet. She’s very emotive and has a winning way about her. But she’s very Sally Fields. 

I wouldn’t have cast Lewis Pullman as Cameron either. And after his introductory scene where he hams it up to cartoonish levels, I was willing to write him off. But I changed my mind after. He’s not all that different from his two Bob roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Thunderbolts*, but he’s got good chemistry with Fields and authentically portrays a loser trying his best. 

My biggest disappointment in the film is Marcellus. We needed more of him. But beyond that, I was surprised by how little personality Alfred Molina imbues in Marcellus. The best part of the book was Marcellus’ dreary persona and general (and accurate) perception of the lowly human race. There’s absolutely no gravitas to Marcellus in the film. I’m shocked. Molina is always so good, irrespective of what role he has. He seemed to not capture Marcellus at all. 

This isn’t necessarily a bad film. There were some laugh-out-loud moments that I wasn’t prepared for. I rarely have these in any film, so this was a welcome change. The story remains sweet, and for some it may come across as heartwarming. The landscapes are stunning. The mountains and oceans and greenery. My word—I could get lost dreaming of the locales in the film. 

Unfortunately, the film isn’t memorable. It crams in too many story beats in an inorganic fashion, flattens the majority of the characters, and leans heavily on exposition. It’s a nice couple of hours, but Remarkably Bright Creatures needed space to breathe and a keener understanding of what to adapt and what to delete.