Disclosure Day Review: Spielberg’s Most Daring Swing in Years—But Does It Connect?
Steven Spielberg returns to the unknown with Disclosure Day, a sharp, modern companion to Close Encounters of the Third Kind that swaps 70s awe for 21st‑century unease. So, how does it land?
Just when you think Spielberg is all out of stories about little green men, along comes ‘Disclosure Day’. Yes, it’s another splashy “are the aliens here or not?” thriller, but this time he leans straight into the paranoia – and, I’ll say it upfront, the sentimental stuff too. If you’re expecting a spiritual callback to ‘Close Encounters’, you’re not off the mark. And while it’s packed with energy, the film’s not without its wobbly bits. So, let’s dig in.
The Setup: World on the Brink
Spielberg doesn’t mince around with a slow burn opening. Instead, he throws us right into the carnage after the aliens-and-government shenanigans have already kicked off. We meet Josh O'Connor as Kellner, who’s basically a cybersecurity whizz-turned-whistleblower. Formerly at a shadowy company called ‘Wardex’ (think GCHQ, but less plausible and more obsessed with hiding ET), Kellner’s managed to nick a pile of files and nicked-off tech, with the small matter of his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) being held captive hanging over his head.
Cue the ticking clock: humanity’s about to light the nuclear touch paper, and the only thing that might stop it is the truth about whether we’re alone in the universe. There’s a theory in the film — borrowed from Peter Hyams’ overlooked ‘2010’ — that global unity could spring from learning we’ve got neighbours upstairs.
The Characters: Good, Bad and Goofy
- Emily Blunt as Margaret Fairchild: A TV weather presenter suffering from existential drift, until her live broadcast turns weird – so weird that Kellner and his mates instantly clock something’s off. She’s quickly roped in for the ride, giving Blunt the chance to be both arch and daffy before finding her feet as the narrative gets serious.
- Josh O'Connor as Tom Kellner: The low-key everyman driving the plot, mostly by virtue of looking constantly out of his depth, which suits the material.
- Colin Firth as Scanlon: The face of Wardex, our corporate villain. Firth tries on ‘cold and ruthless’, but to be honest, Wardex itself is laughably incompetent. For an evil mega-corp, their goons keep getting outfoxed with tricks out of a 1970s spy serial.
- Colman Domingo as Hugo: He’s an ex-Wardex defector now leading his own underground network, mostly to dole out exposition. Domingo’s good, but the script feeds him a lot of tedious speechifying.
- Wyatt Russell as Dave: Plays Blunt’s boyfriend, notable only for being such a drip it feels like the cutting-room floor was invented for his entire subplot.
- Eve Hewson as Jane: The obligatory damsel-in-distress, and, bizarrely, an ex-nun – which ties into one of the film’s more heavy-handed digressions.
Action, Tension... and a Few Facepalms
There’s genuine momentum running through much of ‘Disclosure Day’, and Spielberg gets a lot of the set pieces moving at a frantic clip. Some of that energy is derailed, though, every time the film tries to be clever or grand. There’s an eye-rolling chase involving trains and cars that’s as plausible as a chocolate teapot. Visual effects? I hate to say it, but the CGI animals look like they wandered in from a supermarket’s value brand.
The dialogue’s another problem. Spielberg came up with the bones of the story, but David Koepp’s script is awash with stilted, almost parodic lines. Characters alternate between spelling the plot out and inexplicably changing their minds to keep the film rolling. It’s the sort of thing where you find yourself saying, 'Alright, but did nobody read this aloud before filming?'
The Soggy Bits
For all its breakneck pace, the film can’t seem to decide if it’s a sharp political thriller or an old-school message movie. The subplot about faith (with Jane the ex-nun) never comes together: it’s heavy-handed, with interesting questions about belief and aliens mostly swept aside in favour of ticking off genre boxes. Even the notion about whether confirming alien life would destabilize the planet is simply dropped when things get tricky, which—personally—I think is more compelling than the predictable finale we get.
Credit Where Credit’s Due
Spielberg, even when he’s full of schmaltz, still outclasses most of the big-budget crowd. In a glut of soulless franchise fodder, ‘Disclosure Day’ at least goes for something sincere. The final act does flicker into true Spielberg, especially once John Williams’ score kicks in and Blunt finally gets a scene worthy of her talents. O'Connor stays solid all the way through, never showy, always believable.