When you’re the person who essentially created the summer movie scene, a new film touching upon those blockbuster ideals is cause for celebration. Steven Speilberg (“Jurassic Park,” “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial”) has returned to such material with his latest film, reteaming him with writer David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “Spider-Man (2002)”) and the genre he essentially helped mold into what it is nowadays: the UFO/alien film. This latest film, “Disclosure Day,” certainly seems to share a lot of ideas and themes with his previous works in the genre. Hopefully it’s more than just a close encounter with the blockbuster kind.
The film follows cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner, played by Josh O’Connor (“Challengers,” “Wake Up Dead Man”), on the run with his girlfriend Jane, played by Eve Hewson (“Flora and Son,” “Bad Sister”), from the shadowy tech corporation WARDEX, run by CEO Noah Scanlon, played by Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech,” “Mamma Mia!”). Meanwhile, Kansas City meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, played by Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns,” “A Quiet Place”), begins to experience strange voices and senses telling her to find Daniel and to help him with his whistleblower mission: to disclose evidence of alien life and contact to the public.
There’s a lot at play here that seems to recap a lot of what Speilberg has explored in previous films, and in a lot of ways it feels like a direct reaction to the evolution of modern-day sensibilities. There’s a subplot about a potential World War 3 going on in the background that eventually ties into the third act in smart and intriguing ways. Speilberg and Koepp know what they're doing in building intrigue, but that intrigue is one of the weaker moments of the overall film. While there is a lot of mystery surrounding characters, most of it feels as though it was added simply to exist. The film ends with plenty of loose threads dangling, or just unconnected from the conclusion, and not in a mysteriously unexplained way. There’s quite a bit of suspension of disbelief required for various moments to work as well, possibly too much depending on the viewer.
This might make it seem like the third act is the weakest in the film. Far from it, as this is when Spielberg’s combination of big heart and blockbuster tension culminates in the most satisfying chunk of the film. For a tale with this much tension and intrigue, Spielberg not only nails the final moments of it, but manages to perfectly execute the film’s central idea. Empathy and understanding are the biggest ideas here, and despite the film's blockbuster exterior, it means the film resonates far strongly alongside Speilberg’s other works like “Close Encounters,” “The Sugarland Express,” “The Color Purple,” or “The Fabelmans,” than that of his blockbuster thrillers. This is where the superficial elements fall away to reveal the gigantic mush heart at the center of this tale. It presents these core ideas as nakedly emotional as Spielberg has been in decades.
O’Connor is good, keeping attention for his portion of the film expertly so, and his chemistry with Hewson is great, setting the pair of them up through some tumultuous emotional thrills. Firth gets to do plenty of scenery chewing and evil glares as well, and he is fantastic in doing so. Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing,” “euphoria”) also appears as Hugo, a former WARDEX employer and partner in disclosure with Daniel, and he does a lot of great work with what are essentially exposition dumps at various points throughout the film. Blunt is the secret weapon though, as she manages to bring conviction and gravitas to what could have easily been the film’s silliest role. Somehow, she manages to completely captivate the entire time and steals the show from everyone else involved. She is truly fantastic.
As expected, even if the film’s story ebbs and flows, the technical merits of a Spielberg film are rock solid. Janusz Kamiński (“Schindler’s List,” “West Side Story (2021)”) returns as cinematographer and the film’s action is well shot, with the quieter interior moments and camerawork leaving a far larger impact. John Williams’ (“Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark”) score is more understated than his most popular works, even absent from some scenes. It nevertheless thrills when it does kick in, elevating the scenes and emotional states rather than rising to their level on its own.
For some, this will be Spielberg at his most schmaltzy, unable to suspend their disbelief given the basic concept. In our age of deepfakes, AI generated materials, and fake news, would videos on the news be enough to convince us that aliens are real? Spielberg and Koepp seem to think so, and there is a wonderful core of hope at the center of the film. It wants to believe that one big event is enough to bring not only the country, but the whole world together. The film, therefore, slots nicely into the “hopecore” subgenre popularized recently by films like James Gunn’s “Superman.” Like that film, there will simply be some people far too cynical for Spielberg’s vision to render effectively. But there’s no denying the effort on display to make this vision work.
“Disclosure Day” isn’t a masterpiece like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” or Spielberg’s other UFO movies. But it also doesn’t feel like it's trying to be like them at all. This is a simpler, sweet, more hopeful movie at its center, led by fantastic production elements, a great cast, and h a terrific Emily Blunt at its center. It is still thrilling, but the third act and emotional themes are where things really shine, despite the dangling plot threads. Your mileage may vary, but this feels like the father of the blockbuster and modern alien movie is asking you not to grip your seat with tension, but to sit down, listen, and feel. 4/5
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