By: Jamie Steinberg
Steven Spielberg is back in our theaters with his latest feature Disclosure Day. Looking to remind one and all to value human connection over use of artificial intelligence, David Keopp’s script falters a bit but ultimately the acting keeps this film worth watching. If you’re looking for a standout Spielberg sci-fi flick, skip this one but if you’re a fan of the compiled cast grab a seat and some popcorn.
We meet Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) as he’s being sought after by a dark organization known as Wardex, which is helmed by the sinister Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Scanlon has captured Daniel’s girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) and is attempting to exchange her for something that Daniel…let’s say “liberated” from them. It seems that Daniel has learned that “non-humanoid” life forms are real and that there are powerful people attempting to keep that fact from leaking into the world. We discover that Daniel has teamed up with Wardex defectors that are led by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) in order to release this well kept secret to the public. However, they are just waiting for a sign in order to initiate the final step of their plan – sharing actual recorded footage from alien encounters, thus the title “Disclosure Day.” We see that sign appear in the form of Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), a meteorologist out of Kansas City, who suddenly begins to possess the ability to speak various languages and seems to be able to understand a person’s life story simply by looking into their eyes. By the time she makes it to work one morning she is fully talking in what appears to be an alien language, but is solely something Daniel seems to understand. Yes, this sounds like a sci-fi film, but actually is more of a cat-and-mouse action flick as Noah and his team try to take down Daniel and Margaret before they can reach Hugo.
One could compare Disclosure Day to the likes of War of the Worlds and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in that there are people chosen to take the mantle of saving the Earth. Blunt and O’Connor do an exceptional job as those anti-heroes – individuals not typically seen as a savior but thrust in those roles under dire circumstances. Speilberg, as always, does an incredible job with molding performances and bringing the heat when it comes to sci-fi CGI. However, there are just too many moments that feel out of place such as references to “Hansel & Gretel” and an overuse of computer generated animals. There is also a bit too much weight to the film where Speilberg focuses on the theme of religion verses humanity’s place in the universe. As I said, come for the name “Speilberg” and stick around simply for the work done by Blunt and O’Connor.
Overall, the film Disclosure Day leaves viewers wanting more. We expect an out of this world (pun intended) experience every time we watch a Speilberg sci-fi film and here the work just disappoints. With his seemingly lifelong fascination with aliens viewers expect to see what they have come to expect from his filmography, but Disclosure Day flops and finds itself grounded on Earth.