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| Netflix’s ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ Leaves Viewers in Tears Over Marcellus the Octopus. (Credits: Netflix) |
Netflix’s ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ may arrive wrapped in gentle humour, grief, and awkward human conversations, but let’s be honest for a second: most viewers finished the film emotionally attached to one sarcastic octopus. While Tova and Cameron spend the story trying to untangle their complicated lives, it is Marcellus, the ageing Giant Pacific octopus with better emotional intelligence than half the internet, who quietly steals the entire film. Naturally, audiences immediately started asking the same thing after the ending rolled around: does Marcellus die, and does an octopus like him actually exist in real life?
The short answer is both comforting and slightly devastating. Marcellus is not based on one specific real octopus, but Giant Pacific octopuses absolutely exist in real life, and much of the film’s portrayal of his behaviour, intelligence, and lifespan is grounded in reality. So yes, the emotional damage caused by one unusually observant sea creature is unfortunately scientifically believable.
When the story begins, Marcellus has already spent years inside the aquarium after being rescued from severe injuries in the ocean. While the humans around him see the aquarium as protection, Marcellus clearly sees it as something else entirely: a very tidy prison with terrible privacy.
The octopus constantly dreams about returning home to the ocean floor, even as age and failing health slowly catch up with him.
Throughout the film, he sneaks out of his tank, explores hidden corners of the aquarium, steals food, and silently judges human behaviour with the exhausted energy of someone who has simply seen too much nonsense.
The film carefully reminds viewers that Marcellus is old for his species. Giant Pacific octopuses usually live only around three to five years, which suddenly makes every scene involving him feel far more fragile. By this point, he has already spent over half his life trapped away from the ocean.
That looming reality hangs over the film quietly but heavily. Unlike the humans around him, Marcellus understands exactly how little time he has left, which somehow makes him the wisest character in the room despite technically having eight arms and no patience.
As Tova prepares to leave her longtime home and move into assisted living, she notices Marcellus’ condition worsening. The octopus becomes weaker, slower, and visibly exhausted. But instead of giving up, he attempts one final escape.
In one of the film’s most emotional scenes, Tova finds him collapsed near the aquarium exit after trying to reach the ocean himself.
His colour has faded badly, and the situation looks grim enough to make viewers start bargaining emotionally with fictional sea life. Quite frankly, Netflix knew exactly what it was doing here.
At first, Tova plans to return him safely to the tank, but then she understands why he made it to the door in the first place. Marcellus was not escaping randomly. He was trying to go home. The moment lands with quiet simplicity rather than melodrama, which honestly makes it hit harder.
There are no giant speeches, no dramatic soundtrack trying to bully audiences into crying. Just an old octopus wanting one last chance to return to the place where he belongs before his life ends.
Instead of putting him back into captivity, Tova carries Marcellus to the pier and releases him into the ocean. By then, he has spent far too long out of water, and for a brief moment the film strongly suggests he may not survive. But once he sinks back beneath the surface, colour and energy begin returning to him.
The ocean immediately feels less like scenery and more like relief itself. Marcellus is alive by the end of the film, though the story makes clear he does not have much time remaining due to old age.
That bittersweet detail is exactly what gives the ending its emotional power. Marcellus does not magically become young again, nor does the film pretend everything suddenly turns perfect.
He will eventually die. But now, he will do so in the ocean rather than inside a glass tank surrounded by fluorescent lights and visitors tapping windows every five seconds like they personally discovered marine biology. For Marcellus, that return home matters more than extending his lifespan.
Thematically, the ending ties directly into what ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ is really about. Every major character spends the story searching for some version of home, belonging, or peace. Tova struggles with grief and emotional isolation.
Cameron searches desperately for family and identity. Marcellus simply wants the ocean. In many ways, the octopus becomes the emotional centre of the entire film because his desire is the simplest and most honest of all.
ICYMI: Where was Remarkably Bright Creatures filmed
Viewers online have reacted intensely to the ending, with many admitting they cried far more over Marcellus than they expected.
Some joked that they started the film expecting a “quiet little drama” and somehow ended it emotionally wrecked by an elderly octopus. Others praised the film for treating the creature with dignity rather than turning him into comic relief.
There has also been a flood of viewers searching whether Marcellus was real because the character feels oddly authentic, right down to his tired observations about human behaviour. Frankly, if an octopus could roll its eyes, Marcellus probably would have spent the entire film doing exactly that.
Fans have especially connected with the quieter message behind his story. Marcellus is intelligent, lonely, observant, and trapped in a place he never truly belonged. The film never overexplains those emotions, which allows audiences to project their own feelings onto him.
That subtle approach has made the ending resonate much more deeply than many louder, more dramatic streaming releases recently. Sometimes one exhausted octopus silently crawling towards freedom is enough to flatten an entire audience emotionally.
In real life, Giant Pacific octopuses remain one of the most fascinating creatures in the ocean, known for their intelligence, problem-solving abilities, and surprisingly complex behaviour.
So while Marcellus himself is fictional, the species absolutely exists, and yes, they really are clever enough to escape tanks, recognise patterns, and make humans question their entire emotional stability after one film.
And honestly, that may be why Marcellus lingers in viewers’ minds long after the credits finish rolling. He is not just a clever animal side character added for charm. He becomes a reflection of loneliness, ageing, and the simple desire to return somewhere safe before time runs out.
Not bad for an octopus who spends most of the film silently watching humans make deeply questionable life choices. So now the real debate online is this: did ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ give us the saddest Netflix sea creature since forever, or was Marcellus somehow the happiest character by the end after all?