‘Disclosure Day’ Review: I Believe in Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is one of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers with multiple iconic films including Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and many, many more under his direction. His influence is undeniable and can be felt all across the industry. Disclosure Day feels like a culmination of everything Spielberg has done. It’s the alien mystery of Close Encounters paired with the technology driven Minority Report and the fear of Jaws, all mixed together to create a story that’s totally unique but unequivocally Spielberg. Wherever you’re a Mulder or a Scully, Disclosure Day is one of the most entertaining films of the year that will capture you in its tractor beam make you a believer.

The world has become increasingly hostile as tensions between nations could trigger World War III at any moment. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) works as a cybersecurity specialist for Wardex, a secretive government division that has been covering up extraterrestrial encounters for decades, and smuggles out evidence that would change the world if released. Guided by Hugo (Colman Domingo), another former Wardex employee, Daniel does everything he can to stay one step ahead of Wardex CEO Noah (Colin Firth) who uses alien technology to track down Daniel and stop him from disclosing the stolen files. Meanwhile, weather reporter Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) starts experiencing strange events such as being able to see into people’s minds and read their deepest thoughts. It’s no coincidence that this all corresponds with Daniel’s theft of the alien files, and she may end up playing an important role in making sure the world learns the truth.

At a time when theaters are full of sequels, superheroes, and franchise IPs, Disclosure Day is a breath of fresh air. Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory and the film takes full advantage of falling down the alien rabbit hole. What starts with Roswell, New Mexico snowballs into alien encounters all around the United States and includes recovered crafts, bodies, and technology including this mysterious metallic rod that becomes the centerpiece of Wardex. Noah use the rod to essentially hijack a person’s body, seeing what they see and being able to take control of all their movements. He uses this alien tech to hunt down Daniel and his accomplices. The tech takes its toll on anyone who uses it so it’s used sparingly, but the possibility than anyone could become an unwilling agent of Wardex shows that no one is truly safe from their reach.

That being said, Wardex is no FBI or CIA or even the local police, and it shows. Despite the inclusion of aliens, sci-fi tech, and everything else that’s out of this world, the most unbelievable aspect of the film are the Wardex agents themselves. They are wildly incompetent. At one point, Daniel is able to sneak up behind a dozen or so agents and steal one of their cars, driving it straight through them, getting stuck in a ditch, and then into the front of a house while the agents blindly flail their arms. I understand that this is a movie that needs these people to survive, but the stupidity the agents show is laughable. For being one of the most classified and protected agencies in the world, the people involved with Wardex are pretty dumb. It’s my only real complaint in an otherwise perfect movie.

There have been plenty of alien movies before, and Spielberg himself has even made a few of them. What sets Disclosure Day apart is how it focuses on the fallout of aliens being revealed to the world and not whether they’re here to harm or heal us. Religion plays a big role in the film with Daniel’s girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) being a former nun who questioned her faith even before learning of aliens. The film confronts the idea of both believing in a higher power and aliens at the same time and raises a reasonable discussion. There is no question that the revelation of alien intelligence would conflict with what many religions teach us, but Disclosure Day approaches the subject with grace and intelligence. It’s an aspect of alien films that is rarely addressed, but it strengthens the film by adding another layer of depth to it.

What makes Disclosure Day work so well is how great Steven Spielberg is at storytelling. The way the camera moves and never stays static for too long or how he deviates from standard framing keeps the film moving. At two and a half hours, Disclosure Day never feels boring or uninteresting. The pacing is immaculate as the story unfolds and Daniel and Margaret learn the truth of the coverup they’re both a part of. This is all because of the decades of experience Spielberg brings to the film and the performances he is able to draw out of his actors. To quote Nicole Kidman, “We come to this place for magic.” Spielberg is the shining example of that magic that happens on the silver screen.

Steven Spielberg is one of those rare directors whose name alone can fill theaters. Disclosure Day may be the latest in his filmography but it is also the culmination everything that came before it. Disclosure Day isn’t a documentary, but it does make you question alien life on earth. That’s the power of film and that’s the power of Spielberg.