Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Story of Octopus Intelligence Set in the Pacific Northwest
Posted
Last Updated
By Janet Green Hammerman, best4boats.com.
The Netflix adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel Remarkably Bright Creatures is drawing renewed attention to one of the ocean’s most fascinating inhabitants — the giant Pacific octopus. Set in a fictional Pacific Northwest coastal town, the story follows an aging widow, a drifting young man, and a remarkably perceptive aquarium octopus named Marcellus whose observations tie their lives together. A new review from Best4Boats explores the film, the real science behind octopus intelligence, and where boaters can encounter these creatures in the wild. For harbor communities along the Pacific coast, it’s a timely reminder of the extraordinary marine life just beneath the surface.
As Janet Green Hammerman writes for Best4Boats:
The New York Times bestselling book Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt has now been adapted into film and released as a Netflix movie starring Sally Fields. This intriguing story focuses on the interaction between Fields’ character Tova Sullivan, a 70-year-old widow, Cameron Cassmore (played by Lewis Pullman) — a young man searching for his family/identity, and an intelligent octopus named Marcellus who lives in an aquarium.
Set in the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Sowell Bay, the characters come to respect and cherish the wily Marcellus. His presence seems to help the humans who interact with him.
Hammerman goes beyond the review to share her own wild octopus encounter while cruising the San Juan Islands aboard a Cutwater 26, and offers a fascinating rundown of octopus biology — from their three hearts and blue blood to decentralized arm intelligence and jet propulsion. The film was partially shot at the Vancouver Aquarium, where the octopus who played Marcellus can still be visited. Other Pacific coast aquariums in Seattle, Monterey, and Boston also house giant Pacific octopus displays for those inspired to see one up close.
