[Movie] Disclosure Day Review: A Triumphant Comeback or Outdated Nostalgia?

Catching a new Spielberg flick is always an exciting prospect, especially knowing it is the director who made his name in sci-fi. He is back with Disclosure Day, an alien movie that feels like an attempt to recapture audience fascination with extraterrestrial visitors. The director certainly has the chops, following his monumental work fifty years ago with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but this time around, his goal with this new feature seems to be stirring up controversy surrounding the truth and transparency of the subject.

Plot

The film weaves together two storylines: Daniel Kellner, played by Josh O’Connor, is an intelligence analyst who steals classified evidence regarding alien contact from a corporation called Wardex dating back to 1947. The other plot follows Margaret Fairchild, played by Emily Blunt, a TV weather forecaster who suddenly gains mastery over an alien language and telepathy. Both are hunted by Noah Scanlon, played by Colin Firth, the antagonist who will even leverage alien tech to protect the secrets and stop these two characters from joining forces to leak the truth to the world.

Critique

Critical reception for the film has been divided; it has been praised on a technical level, particularly for its cinematography and score. Personally, I felt the CGI fell a bit short. For a movie heavily reliant on that resource, it does not feel fluid or well-integrated into the scenes. While the music does a fantastic job of building suspense, the visuals let it down. I did enjoy the cast, though—Emily Blunt stands out as always. I cannot think of a single misstep from her; she effortlessly portrays a character who is both vulnerable and powerful. The complete opposite can be said for Josh O’Connor, who wore the exact same facial expression for the entire runtime.

Yet despite the solid performances, I think the script left a lot to be desired. It leaned too heavily into old-school tropes, feeling more like an episode of The X-Files than a story committed to modern sensibilities—which does not bother me in principle, but I do expect modern filmmaking to feel more cutting-edge. It also seems Spielberg struggled to strike a balance; there was an overabundance of chase sequences and heavy exposition through dialogue, with very little development given to the core concept, which is the grand revelation of the truth. Despite these flaws, I will not deny that the movie remains entertaining.