Disclosure Day Dazzles Some, Disappoints Others While Asking Big Questions About Our Place In The Universe

Disclosure Day continues a long tradition of powerful science fiction storytelling and completes a loose trilogy of alien movies that has been nearly 50 years in the making.

Steven Spielberg has returned to the big screen in a big way by doing what he does best, expertly telling a huge story, delivering blockbuster moments, and entertaining audiences with unparalleled skill and now a lifetime of experience and expertise.

Disclosure Day is not what we were sold. Well, it is in that we were sold a bold new science fiction film from Steven Spielberg. But looking back at the trailers, we were never really sold or told much. As the film very slowly and deliberately spelled out its plot, I realized I didn’t really know where we were going. Each nugget of story opened up another door, asked another question, and created another sense of wonder.

We open with a brutal wrestling match, which is really a backdrop for a clandestine information exchange between Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) and Wardex CEO Scanlon (Colon Firth) and his band of secret service-esque team of baddies. There is a little too much lens flare here, one of my few criticisms of this film. We learn that Wardex has kidnapped Daniel’s girlfriend, Jane, to negotiate the return of dozens of drives, which we learn contain the world’s collected knowledge about UFOs and aliens, along with the definitive truth that they exist. This sets off a cross-country chase as Daniel and Jane escape with the help of alien technology.

Next, we meet television meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt). Emily Blunt gives an off-the-charts performance here, portraying a meteorologist who seems to be undergoing a career crisis, but we find out her inner turmoil is about so much more than her career ambitions.

The movie follows Daniel and Margaret’s slow path to intersection. We find out they are the key to unlocking the secrets of first contact, having been abducted by aliens in their youth. Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) is working in the background, assured that the two will meet at a secret location where his team is setting up a recreation of Margaret’s childhood home in hopes of unlocking her memories.

This movie is loaded with tense moments. At one point, Scanlon uses alien tech to “possess” Jane, leading to some scary moments. There’s a big action piece involving a train, which is fun and exhilarating to watch.

There are a ton of little Spielbergian touches in this movie that I personally love. There are obvious callbacks to Close Encounters and E.T., as well as less obvious ones to Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. There also seem to be musical cues from other John Williams movies here, in his announced final collaboration with Spielberg.

The movie also tosses in some existential questions about god, religion, and existence itself. Jane is a former nun who has lost her faith and is concerned that humanity is not ready for the truth that they are not alone in the universe. These big questions do not necessarily get big answers, but they work to get you thinking.

There’s also a message-some may think it’s too heavy-handed, some may think it’s too “woke,” but it’s a message that has always resonated with me-we need empathy. In the real modern world, there’s been a distinct

“war on empathy” from the far right, and this movie simply suggests that empathy should be a simple baseline for humanity. And I agree.

I saw this movie in a nearly full theater on opening night. It wasn’t a rowdy crowd, but it wasn’t a quiet one either. That said, for the last 20 minutes of the movie, there was a palpable feeling in the theater; people were engrossed by what was unfolding, and you could hear a pin drop. It’s why I love seeing movies in theaters. Others have reported different experiences. The discourse around this movie ranges from “it’s a masterpiece” to “Spielberg is toast.” I am in the former camp. I love this movie and will champion it. The direction is good, the action is fun, the music is great, and the acting, particularly by Blunt and Domingo, is top-notch. The nostalgia is heavy and the message sincere. Listen.