Disclosure Day

In Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day, a meteorologist named Margaret is inexplicably drawn to a cybersecurity expert named Daniel. Together, the two learn about the existence of alien life, and set out on a mission to disclose that information to the world. Unfortunately for them, a shady government organization that wants to prevent the secret from getting out is hell bent on keeping them silent.

Yes, Spielberg returns with his first alien adventure in over a decade! But, while the film does have a positive critical reception, I have to admit that I personally have mixed feelings about it.

To be fair, the film is filled with plenty of solid pieces; the performances are great, the action sequences are fantastic, and the John Williams soundtrack is undeniably incredible. But none of the technical elements make up for how underwhelming the script is.

The story wants to present itself as a mystery, but the audience already knows that aliens exist in this world. So the movie tries to compensate by making the characters have a mysterious background. Which is fine, but the narrative isn't as character-driven as you may think.

We learn surprisingly little about the characters in this film. I couldn't tell you anything about Margaret's person life - outside of the fact that she's a meteorologist. I definitely couldn't tell you anything about Daniel's personal life. And if I'm being completely honest, I couldn't even remember the names of these characters! I had to Google them just to write this review!

So, it feels like Spielberg actually took a page out of J.J. Abrams' play book here, and wrapped these characters inside a mystery box. Which is fine! But the movie takes way too long to reveal what is actually going on with its story and with its characters.

DisclosureDay clocks in at 2 hours and 25 minutes in length, but it takes a full 2 hours for it start revealing anything! By the time the "disclosing" starts happening, there's nowhere left for the story to go. Because the movie is already finishing at that point! So I'm not really sure if the reveals pay off in any interesting or meaningful way - if at all.

Despite having some issues with the characterizations, though, the performances in this film are actually really good. Which shouldn't be too surprising, given how Josh O'Connor, Colman Domingo, and Colin Firth are all incredibly talented actors. So, while I had no idea what any of their characters were actually up to, I was completely engaged by all of their performances.

That being said, Emily Blunt is the star of the show here. She definitely carries this movie on her back and delivers one of the best performances in her entire career. Which is really saying something! But watching the way she can change her personality on a dime is undeniably mesmerizing. Plus, her character did provide the story with some much needed warmth.

Of course, the fact that this is an Amblim production means that the film is inherently warm and charming in its own right, but the themes really shine through with Margaret's character specifically. And I do like the overall message of the film. Because, in a time where everything is incredibly divisive, we should all learn how to listen to each other and how to have empathy for one another.

Something that doesn't work for me, however, is how oddly religious the movie is. Because it feels like the film is trying to convince real world Catholics that it is okay to believe in alien life, and that seems totally unnecessary to me. I mean, it's clear that Spielberg believes in aliens, but that doesn't mean that everyone else has to.

So, the film spends a frustrating amount of time trying to convince the audience that they should believe in alien life. And I think that time would've been better served by tightening up the script and fleshing out the characters a bit more. Besides, it's not like the movie provides us with any actual evidence that definitively proves that aliens exist.

Yes, despite being marketed as as some sort of revelatory film about real world alien encounters, this is actually a complete work of fiction. Sorry Ufologists; there's no real disclosing taking place here. Which may be a bit disappointing to hear. But, whether you believe in aliens or not, there's nothing in this movie that you haven't seen already.

Speaking of which, having the main characters leak their alien footage on a cable news network feels like a very outdated notion. There's no reason why they couldn't just leak all of their data onto the internet. I mean, people already question the authenticity of broadcast news. It's not like this would be the thing to make people start believing the news networks.

Maybe I'm just getting old and cynical, though. But you can't blame me for being jaded when we live in a world where we are constantly being bombarded with crazy news. Sure, the existence of alien life would be a huge deal, but I don't think that revelation would bring the world to a stand still. People still gotta eat, after all. Who cares about alien life when people can barely afford to buy groceries?

Now, some people would absolutely freak the hell out, but the movie doesn't explore what could happen after alien life is proven to exist. Because, again, it doesn't have any time to do so! But the film seems to suggest that this revelation would make the entire world stop - even prevent a World War from breaking out - and I think people would simply move on to the next crazy story. That's just the world we live in now.

But, while I fundamentally take issue with Spielberg's finale, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate his overall work. The man is still an incredibly talented director! Some of his camerawork is really damn impressive here - especially during the high octane chase sequences! Sequences that are only heightened by John Williams' wonderful soundtrack. (On that note: it feels really nice to hear a new John Williams score in 2026. I'm so glad he's still making music!)

So, there are plenty of things that I do enjoy about Disclosure Day. The technical elements are all really well done, after all. I just think that the story - which feels oddly distant and unnecessarily mysterious - doesn't live up to how good all of the other technical aspects of the film are.

Spielbergis clearly trying to recapture the awe and wonder of his past films here; the problem is that he kept his cards a little too close to the chest. So, instead of feeling like a classic Spielberg film, the entire movie feels more like a J. J. Abrams mystery box. Which isn't an inherently bad thing! It just means that the film isn't as masterful or as well thought out as it probably wants to be.

Regardless, while I personally don't love the movie, I can't deny the fact that it is still a technically well-made one. So, while I don't think it's one of Spielberg's best films, Disclosure Day would still get a mild recommendation from me.