Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of a bestselling fantasy novel has the potential to change viewers’ lives with its simple yet meaningful story. Fantasy has the ability to sweep audiences into worlds of magic and introduce them to characters with impressive abilities. The genre has never been more popular than it is now, with many modern, groundbreaking fantasy TV shows.
High fantasy and urban fantasy are the most popular subgenres right now, but another type of fantasy is growing in popularity as well. Magical realism is a type of fantasy that incorporates fantastical or supernatural elements into an otherwise realistic and mundane world. The extraordinary is treated as just another typical part of society.
One bestselling modern magical realism book is Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, which blends together domestic fiction, mystery, and magical realism. This story is one of the many exciting fantasy books becoming movies. What’s more, it has the potential to change viewers’ lives.
The 2022 debut book, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, was an absolute sleeper hit. It has hit the New York Times Bestseller list multiple times, spreading through passionate word of mouth rather than a massive marketing campaign. Now, the bestseller is being adapted into a Netflix movie, starring Sally Field as the main character.
The story follows the unlikely connections between a lonely 70-year-old woman named Tova, a young man named Cameron searching for his mother, and a Great Pacific Octopus named Marcellus. Rather than falling into traditional fantasy, the book is a work of magic realism, with Marcellus possessing abilities far beyond those of both humans and octopuses.
The octopus can talk to the audience, trace genetic lineage with his mind, understand all of humanity despite limited exposure to the world, and possess omniscient levels of knowledge. It’s easy to walk away from Remarkably Bright Creatures regarding Marcellus as a mystical being. This will undoubtedly be a part of the movie, as the story falls apart without Marcellus’s abilities and intervention in the lives of Tova and Cameron.
The Magical Realism Movie Will Touch You To Your Core
No story will connect with everyone in the same way. However, if Remarkably Bright Creatures is anything like the book, it is bound to have a profound effect on many viewers. While the plot is relatively predictable, the heart of Remarkably Bright Creatures lies in the characters and the ways they change each other.
Each character enters the story with their own emotional baggage. Tova has never fully grieved the loss of her son, causing her to push others away. Cameron is emotionally and mentally stunted because he never processed his mother abandoning him. Meanwhile, Marcellus grapples with the fact that he will die alone in captivity, never being free again. They only begin to heal when they connect with one another.
Remarkably Bright Creatures will release on Netflix on May 8, 2026.
The story is a much-needed reminder of the need for community and empathy. Cameron and Tova’s relationship shows the value of reaching across generational lines. Meanwhile, the bonds across species also convey a poignant message about how humans interact with the wider world around us.
Ultimately, Remarkably Bright Creatures is a beautiful, heartwarming book with messages most of us need to hear. The story is a ray of hope in an increasingly chaotic and hopeless society. Many reviews mentioned how much the story not only made them cry but also changed their perspective. Netflix’s Remarkably Bright Creatures has the potential to capture the same magic, providing the same effect in a whole new format.
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