REVIEW — “Disclosure Day”

A dense and daffy sci-fi thriller, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day plays like a close encounter of the blurred kind.

The film gets right to it by placing us in the middle of a government conspiracy in which twitchy whistleblower Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) attempts to rescue his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) from agents of Wardex. Led by company head Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), the shadowy government contractor (and Daniel’s former employer) is tasked with keeping the truth of extraterrestrial life secret from the public. Under the guidance of another former employee, Hugo Wakefield (Coleman Domingo), Daniel wants to expose the truth.

Meanwhile, weatherwoman Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is “activated” as a “passenger” by an alien visitor in the form of a red cardinal. Realizing she’s suddenly gained the alien-engineered abilities to speak foreign languages and read people’s minds, Margaret freaks out her slacker boyfriend (Wyatt Russell, providing light comic relief), avoids a speeding ticket by a cop, and goes on-air to channel an unknown, extraterrestrial language. The highlight of the film, Blunt’s dynamic introductory scenes showcase her stunningly impressive abilities as an actress and set the stage for what should have been a mesmerizing mystery.

Unfortunately, what follows is a series of hand-wringing scenes and cringey narrative choices that limit the audience’s connectivity to the characters. Despite these flaws, Disclosure Day boasts undeniably strong performances from its leads, particularly from Firth and Blunt. Firth takes to his role with a fixed, angry stare and clenched jaw, turning Scanlon into an obsessively daunting villain who never stops. But it is Blunt who completely steals the show. Vacillating flawlessly between determined and frightened, Blunt brings a much-needed levity and humanity to the screen, grounding the film’s wilder and weirder concepts with real panic and humored disbelief.

When the film leans into action and sci-fi, it genuinely thrills. Spielberg delivers spectacular, white-knuckle car and train chase scenes that remind audiences of his unmatched eye for tense, cinematic action. These sequences are driven by an exceptionally cool sci-fi element: body-snatching mechanics powered by advanced alien technology, which adds a layer of eerie suspense to the dynamic between Daniel and Jane who otherwise make for an unconvincing couple.

While this is far from the director’s best picture, his hallmark touches are evident throughout. This feels like a Spielberg film, it’s just not a great one. Elevating the film’s thrilling moments is a wondrous, grand score by the incomparable John Williams. Reunited with Spielberg (hopefully not for the last time) and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński (lense-flares and all), Williams delivers a soundtrack tailormade for the film’s high-octane pursuits that echoes the pensive wonder and tender, emotional beats of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Screenwriter David Koepp (working from Spielberg’s story idea) tries to wrestle with heavy, philosophical questions about the religious and societal ramifications of an official government disclosure on the existence of aliens. Would society collapse and chaos reign? Unfortunately, we don’t get an answer. Just an overly weepy news anchor’s commentary and a final call to action. At times, Disclosure Day is a gorgeously shot thrill ride packed with sensational chases, a majestic score, and brilliant performances, however, it often dips in quality due to its tonally messy plot that reaches for emotionally resonant spectacle but trips over its own ambition.

While Disclosure Day aims to inspire hope and instill wonder in a cynical world where it’s easier for people to believe lies than the truth they see with their own eyes, the final result falls flat, buried under the weight of its corniness. It is a rare, muddled misfire from the legendary team behind alien cinema classics like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind who, despite a valiant effort, are unable to replicate the compelling magic of those masterpieces. 3/5