Movie Review: ‘Disclosure Day’

Plot: As the world stands on the brink of WWIII, cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) steals data from his company, Wardex, that proves the existence of extraterrestrial life. Forced to go on the run with his ex-novitiate girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson), Daniel gains assistance and insight from fellow Wardex defector Hugo Wakefield (Coleman Domingo). Through Hugo, Daniel connects with Kansas City television meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), who begins to exhibit extraordinary abilities, leading to a strange incident live on air. Together, the duo race to uncover the secrets that bind them together, avoid the powerful forces of Wardex and its head Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), and orchestrate the most momentous moment in human history: Disclosure Day.

Review: On the surface, legendary director Steven Spielberg’s latest science fiction film Disclosure Day asks: If the existence of extraterrestrial beings were true, does humanity have the right to know? Yet that’s just the obvious question anyone can glean from the trailers. I would posit that Disclosure Day actually tries to answer a much more profound question. Namely: Can anyone justifiably claim ownership of the truth, and moreover, does any one group or individual possess the right to determine who receives access to the truth? This question proves to be the beating heart of Spielberg’s latest crack at the topic of aliens.

Compelling, visceral, thought-provoking, and massively entertaining, Disclosure Day gets its hooks in you within the first five minutes and doesn’t let go for the next two hours. Easily the best genre film from Steven Spielberg since 2002’s Minority Report, Disclosure Day reminds us that even at 79, Spielberg still infuses awe, wonder, and humanity into his films better than anyone else in the business. His ability to make audiences both think and feel deeply is unparalleled.

In a movie era when studios seem more concerned with churning out “content” than actually telling a compelling story, it is refreshing to watch a film invested with true authorship. Spielberg directs with a confidence and control you rarely see. Nothing is left to chance, whether how the opening and closing moments synergistically bookend a larger theme, the exquisite and peerless blocking of scenes, or knowing when to incorporate humor at just the right moment. Disclosure Day also demonstrates how well Spielberg generates and manipulates tension for massive impact. This manifests in two different scenes – one involving a telepathic interrogation between Noah Scanlon and Jane, and another, a train sequence that’s better than anything Tom Cruise has done in the last two Mission: Impossible movies. I lost count of the number of times I leaned in. Yet it’s all in service to a narrative that accelerates toward a thrilling final third act.

I’ve always likened the role of director in much the same vein as being a general. Yes, the director is in charge, but he’s also only as good as the people that report to him. And like all great generals, Spielberg has an amazing plethora of people backing his play. Spielberg’s DP muse and two-time Oscar winner Janusz Kaminski once again serves as cinematographer, delivering some of the most memorable shots of the year this side of Project Hail Mary. Sarah Broshar provides some superb editing here, working hand in glove with Spielberg and showcasing the influence of virtuoso editor Michael Kamen, with whom she’s worked several times previously. Even David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Carlito’s Way, Spider-Man), who I find hit or miss, delivers a heartfelt and thought-provoking script combining the better elements of Spielberg classics like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and The Post. Much like Project Hail Mary earlier this year, I got the sense of awe and wonder that I didn’t realize I’d been sorely missing. Digital Domain, Storm Studios, and Weta FX also enact some stunning visual effects, although I will admit there were a couple of shots of CGI animals that I found a little jarring. However, looking back at the context of what our two main characters go through, their “uncanny valley” circumstances make some sense.

Disclosure Day also sports a dynamite cast, rife with excellent performances. Josh O’Connor (Challengers, Wake Up Dead Man) continues his hot streak, with his Daniel Kellner a relatable Edward Snowden type who’s trying to do the right thing. While he profoundly believes that all of humanity has a right to know the truth, he’s expertly countered by his girlfriend Jane, who worries about the serious social, economic, and religious upheaval extraterrestrial disclosure could cause. What’s fascinating is how neither side is 100% right. They each have salient arguments, and the whole point is the dialogue it provokes, not who is on the right side of history.

Colin Firth’s Noah Scanlon also makes for an excellent villain. He’s relatively easy to despise, yet there are layers to him as well. Scanlon believes he’s in the right based on the same concerns Jane expressed, yet a personal loss has untethered him from humanity to the point that he’s lost all perspective. Wyatt Russell also makes for a hilarious boyfriend to Margaret, even if his character is written a little thin. Yet it is Coleman Domingo that continues to impress, with his character of Hugo fundamentally understanding that it is the aliens’ capacity for empathy that makes them more akin and relatable to humanity than Noah can perceive.

However, it is Emily Blunt’s stunning performance as Margaret that absolutely floored me. Not only is this the best performance of Blunt’s career, but it is also the best female performance in a science fiction film since Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. Margaret is someone grappling with an emerging power she doesn’t fully understand and a past that’s confounding. Her reaction to what unfolds around her is remarkably human. I was amazed at how nuanced and multifaceted Blunt’s Margaret really was. In particular, there’s a scene with Blunt in a train car that I will remember for a long time.

Like any other great Steven Spielberg work, he’s able to encapsulate timeless themes within the context of a larger entertaining blockbuster. The two most prominent were empathy and the ability to actively listen. There’s a profound moment in Disclosure Day when Margaret’s abilities manifest in such a way that it exemplifies the heart of empathy. Essentially, what would it mean for us as humans if we could see those who are vastly different from us on the same level as our closest friends and family members? What would that mean for us as a species? It goes hand in hand with our ability to deeply listen to each other, not just wait for our turn to talk.

While I won’t spoil the ending of Disclosure Day, I feel it necessary to address something about the film’s conclusion. Personally, I found the entire last twenty minutes utterly compelling, and how Spielberg maneuvers, shoots, and edits the sequences is stunning. There’s a singular performance by a non-star member of the cast that serves as the stand-in for all of us, and it made me tear up. Having said that, I fully recognize that the ending of this film won’t land with everyone, particularly the last sixty seconds. However, based on everything that leads up to the moment, I think it makes complete sense. People may judge Disclosure Day on what they didn’t get, but I would argue that you have to meet a film on its own terms. Some may see the end as an ontological cheat, but I thought it was brilliant.

Without question, Disclosure Day lived up to my expectations. It made me question and examine my place in this vast universe, and hope that the better angels of our nature as a species may win out. It also proves once again what a master craftsman Steven Spielberg is, and the joy of getting swept up in one of his movies.

My rating system:

1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad

2 Straight Garbage

3 Bad

4 Sub Par

5 Average

6 Ok

7 Good

8 Great

9 Excellent

10 A Must See

Masterpiece

Disclosure Day: 9/10