Directed by Steven Spielberg, Disclosure Day follows a targeted whistleblower, Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), who possesses drives containing classified files proving the government and a shadowy corporation called Wardex have covered up extraterrestrial contact for decades. Teaming up with rogue operatives and a television meteorologist with mysterious abilities, Daniel races against time to bring about the extraordinary event that will change human history forever: the day of ultimate alien disclosure.
For many years, Steven Spielberg has been one of my favorite directors growing up due to the many amazing films he has directed, especially when it comes to sci-fi, which is one of my favorite genres. So when I heard he was returning to his sci-fi roots with an alien conspiracy thriller, I was absolutely going to be seated for it the first chance I had. After getting to see it in a packed theater, I am happy to say I was extremely satisfied with Spielberg’s newest film. Disclosure Day is an almost perfect sci-fi flick that captures you with its magnetic wonder, addictive thrills, and incredible direction by Spielberg that shows he still has the power to make amazing films in the genre that made him famous in the first place. This is a very different kind of alien conspiracy thriller that leans a bit more into fantasy over grounded sci-fi and doesn’t go the same routes similar films have done. It is a mind bending slow burn thriller that captivated me from start to end, even with a slight fault that prevents it from being a full-on masterful film.
This film has a cast of unique talent from different generations of acting that all put forth their best performances for their respective characters, and they really get to shine in different ways. Josh O’Connor proved himself to be a compelling lead in Wake Up Dead Man and he does it again here with another fantastic lead performance as Daniel Kellner. Kellner is a flawed yet well-intentioned soul who seeks to expose the truth that Wardex has hidden from the world for decades, and while this may make him seem like a typical whistleblower character, he ends up having a much larger involvement in the alien conspiracy than he thinks. Not only does he evolve into a more selfless hero over the course of the story, but more of his past gets gradually revealed as he makes a remarkable discovery about himself that ends up having a major impact in later events.
Josh O’Connor was able to really get engaged in his character with his brilliant performance, but he definitely gets overshadowed by an absolutely phenomenal and career-best performance by Emily Blunt as Margaret Fairchild, a television meteorologist who suddenly develops strange abilities as a result of some unusual events. It’s very hard to go into this character without discussing major spoilers, but she ends up being the true heart of the film, mostly thanks to Emily Blunt who goes above and beyond to make this character full of raw emotion, sprinkles of great humor, and marvelous wonder. The fact that she was able to speak multiple languages, including a completely made-up alien language, is a testament to how incredible a performance she gives in this film, making it a new favorite role of mine from her. Josh O’Connor may be spearheading the story but Emily Blunt fully steals the show and really gets audiences further invested into everything that is going on.
Other major performances in the film include Colin Firth as Noah Scanlon, Colman Domingo as Hugo Wakefield, Eve Hewson as Jane Blankenship, and Wyatt Russell as Jackson. Noah Scanlon serves as the villain of this film and is the head of the Wardex corporation, but unlike other shadowy government villains seen in many other films, there is both a sense of menace and humanity with this character. He isn’t driven by power or fierce patriotism for his country but by grief and fear of what could happen if the world, which is already on the brink of war, will do if they learned the truth about Wardex’s decades of contact with alien life. While his reasonings for his actions are not necessarily justified, they are understandable given the circumstances, and he does make some of the logical points behind his argument against full disclosure. Colin Firth does a spectacular job playing the part of Noah, delivering a very rare villain performance to add to his filmography.
On the opposite end from Noah we have Hugo Wakefield, who sees total disclosure as the right thing to do as well as a means to benefit humanity even during a dark time. Colman Domingo brings immense charm and a comforting presence with his performance as Hugo, showing compassion and wisdom in a way that makes both the characters and audience feel relaxed when he comes on screen.
Eve Hewson delivers a compelling performance of her own as Jane Blankenship, a former nun and Daniel’s girlfriend, who questions whether full disclosure is the right thing to do. When she is shown everything Daniel knows regarding the conspiracy she feels her faith being tested and fears what the world might do when being shown the existence of supreme beings that are not from Earth. This fear gets reinforced when she gets targeted by Wardex in a horrifying situation that is out of her control, and the way Eve Hewson portrays it was absolutely fantastic.
Wyatt Russell makes his own mark in the film in his supporting performance of Jackson, Margaret’s boyfriend, who is absolutely hilarious and gives a welcome amount of levity in a thrilling story.
I also want to give huge praise to one minor supporting actress who appears as a news reporter near the end of the film, and that is Courtney Grace. In the final intense minutes of the film she ends up giving incredible amounts of believable emotion that had me hooked into everything that was happening within this grand sequence. I’ve never seen her before in anything else she has been in, yet in such a small role she made a massive impact and deserves way more credit than she got.
I won’t discuss too much about the film’s story as it is best to experience it as blind as possible due to the number of fun twists and turns the film takes, but I will do my best to explain what worked so well about it. The film takes a slow burn and unique approach to the alien conspiracy thriller genre, with its narrative similar to Close Encounters of the Third Kind where it isn’t focused on an alien invasion of Earth or following any of the usual routes when it comes to exposing the confidential existence of alien life. While there are some grounded thrills featured to make you be on the edge of your seat, the film does lean more into a sci-fi fantasy route that is full of themes regarding the consequences of discovery, the fear of the unknown, and an insight into truth and belief, all told through emotionally compelling characters, awestruck wonder, and supreme direction by Spielberg.
It starts off as a complex puzzle that gradually comes together over the course of the story, leading up to an extremely satisfying payoff that is executed phenomenally in a third-act finale that really stays with you long after watching it and leaves enough ambiguity to be pondered about. Don’t expect this film to be War of the Worlds or any kind of bombastic sci-fi adventure because it isn’t, nor does it need to be. But if you are expecting narrative moments of classic Spielberg fun and splendor then there are definitely plenty to go around in this film in its own way.
When it comes to technical elements, one would expect a Spielberg film to be a total home run in that department but this film does have a mix of highs and lows that affect the film as a whole. Starting with the good things, the cinematography is truly out of this world, enhancing the thrills and unnerving atmosphere of the film all the way through, allowing for some truly stunning visuals that are then further enhanced by stellar editing and lighting. The action is also superb as most of it is done with practical effects and sets, including a thrilling car chase sequence that was done amazingly, as well as a humorous sequence involving a unique usage of invisibility.
What really ends up holding back this film from being perfect in my view is some moments of undercooked CGI that unfortunately pop up frequently throughout the film, which mostly involve CGI animals. Now, while there are moments of excellent CGI involving the aliens and other various sequences, the rest of the film gets moments of CGI animals that are important to the story, standing out in all the wrong ways. Given that this film is directed by the man who pioneered the use of CGI in films and has several older films with CGI effects that hold up incredibly well to this day, you’d think he’d make sure these CGI animals would look perfect or appealing to the eye but they don’t, which I found incredibly disappointing. For a film that is mostly visually stunning to look at, thanks to its amazing cinematography, sets, editing, lighting, and practical work, I really wish the CGI could have been as perfect as those elements.
As for the music, we end up having a beautiful score by the film score maestro himself, John Williams, who apparently came out of retirement to once again work with Spielberg. John Williams’ score for this film is surprisingly more subtle than his previous scores as it amplifies the overall tone, thrills, and creeping wonder that eases audiences into everything that is going on in the film, from intimate moments of emotion between characters to shocking moments of mind-bending discovery. I’m so glad John Williams came back to do music for this film as it wouldn’t be a Spielberg flick without his work involved.
Despite one glaring fault that prevents the film from being all-around perfect, Disclosure Day is an enthralling alien conspiracy thriller that proves Steven Spielberg is still a master of original sci-fi flicks to this day, even in a market heavily saturated by sci-fi films and franchises. For those who have been eagerly awaiting Spielberg’s return to his sci-fi roots on the big screen, be sure to go see this film right now on the biggest screen possible. I’m going to give Disclosure Day an A = 97.
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