There is something inherently fascinating about watching Steven Spielberg return to the subject of extraterrestrial life, especially when you consider that he has already explored it from just about every conceivable angle. From the relatively peaceful wonder of Close Encounters of the Third Kind to the outright terror of War of the Worlds, and even the rather divisive alien mythology of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Spielberg has certainly been around this particular block before. Which presents an interesting challenge for Disclosure Day, his latest science fiction thriller, because where exactly does this film fit into a career that has already given us some of the most iconic cinematic encounters with beings from another world? Having now seen Disclosure Day twice, I still don’t think I have a definitive answer to that question, although I do think Spielberg has made a generally entertaining film that benefits from his considerable talents as a director, even if it doesn’t necessarily represent him operating at the height of those talents. There’s a familiarity here that occasionally works against the film, but there’s also something comforting about watching Spielberg do what Spielberg does best, which is take an extraordinary concept and find a way to make it feel like something that could happen tomorrow.
Interestingly enough, the Spielberg film that Disclosure Day reminded me of the most wasn’t any of his previous alien encounters. It was Minority Report. There’s a similar sense of paranoia, conspiracy, and a government apparatus that has become so accustomed to controlling information that the truth itself has become something of a threat. Disclosure Day is less interested in asking whether aliens exist than it is in exploring what happens when the people who know the answer have spent decades making sure nobody else finds out. That distinction allows Spielberg to build a thriller around the pursuit of information, with characters who are willing to risk everything to expose something that powerful people would rather keep buried. There’s a surprising amount of action here, including some elaborate chase sequences that remind you Spielberg still knows exactly how to stage these things, even when the narrative surrounding them isn’t quite as compelling. I don’t know that Disclosure Day ever reaches the level of suspense or ingenuity that made Minority Report such a terrific film, but there are certainly moments where it feels like a spiritual cousin, particularly in the way its characters find themselves running from a system that seems to have eyes everywhere.
Josh O’Connor makes for a solid central figure, giving the film an appropriately grounded performance that helps balance some of the more extraordinary developments. He’s an actor who has demonstrated an ability to make even relatively quiet characters interesting, and there’s something effective about his approach here, particularly because Spielberg isn’t necessarily asking him to be a traditional action hero. Emily Blunt, meanwhile, is terrific, which should surprise absolutely nobody, but I found her presence in the film to be a little strange. Despite being one of the biggest names attached to Disclosure Day, she never really feels like the lead, and her storyline occasionally plays more like a distraction from the narrative that I was actually invested in. That becomes an even bigger issue for Wyatt Russell, who spends much of his time orbiting Blunt’s character without being given nearly enough material to establish himself as an equally important part of the story. It’s not that either actor is doing anything wrong. In fact, Blunt is frequently one of the best things happening whenever she’s on screen. It’s just that the film has so many moving pieces that some of them inevitably feel less essential than others, and I kept wondering whether a more focused screenplay might have made better use of both performers.
Colin Firth, on the other hand, seems to understand exactly what kind of movie he’s in, delivering a wonderfully controlled villainous performance that doesn’t require him to spend the entire film announcing how evil he is. There’s something particularly effective about watching an actor with Firth’s natural sophistication embody someone who has become so comfortable with the power he possesses that he barely needs to acknowledge it. Colman Domingo is also part of this impressive ensemble, although I would argue this is one of the least interesting roles he’s had in quite some time. Domingo has become one of those actors whose presence immediately raises expectations, and while he’s certainly capable of making an impression with limited material, I don’t think Disclosure Day gives him enough to do to justify those expectations. It’s a disappointing use of an actor who has demonstrated such tremendous range, particularly when you consider how much more interesting some of the supporting characters turn out to be.
For me, one of the biggest surprises was Eve Hewson, who gives what might be my favorite performance among the film’s principal players. As a former novitiate who finds herself following her boyfriend, played by O’Connor, into an increasingly dangerous attempt to reveal these secrets to the world, Hewson brings a fascinating perspective to the material. There’s something particularly interesting about having a character with a religious background confront the possibility that humanity’s understanding of its place in the universe might be fundamentally incomplete. Spielberg doesn’t necessarily explore every philosophical implication of that idea, but Hewson gives the character a sense of curiosity and conviction that makes her considerably more interesting than she might have been on the page. Her connections to Firth’s character also provide some of the film’s strongest dramatic material, giving their interactions a weight that isn’t always present elsewhere. I found myself increasingly invested in her character as the film progressed, and considering how much attention is likely to be directed toward Blunt and O’Connor, I hope Hewson doesn’t get lost in the conversation. She certainly deserves to be part of it.
But if there’s one performance I really want to single out, it’s Courtney Grace, who manages to steal scenes in a film populated by considerably more recognizable actors. There’s a moment where her character is suddenly confronted with the responsibility of explaining something almost incomprehensible to an audience, and Grace absolutely nails the mixture of professionalism, confusion, and genuine horror that comes with realizing the world has just changed in front of you. As someone who grew up and remembers watching the coverage of September 11, 2001, I couldn’t help thinking about the reporters who were already covering the first plane striking the World Trade Center when the second plane hit. Those moments when journalists were suddenly forced to abandon the familiar rhythms of reporting and react as human beings to something they couldn’t possibly have anticipated have stayed with me for more than two decades. Grace captures something remarkably similar here, that uncomfortable transition between being the person responsible for communicating the news and being someone who is just as overwhelmed by it as everyone watching. It’s a relatively small piece of a much larger film, but it’s one of the moments that has stayed with me most after two viewings. I sincerely hope this performance gives Grace the kind of career boost that allows her to take on much bigger roles, because she deserves every accolade that comes her way.
Of course, you can’t really discuss a new Spielberg film without acknowledging John Williams, whose contributions to cinema have been so extraordinary that calling him the greatest film composer of all time hardly seems like a controversial statement. And yet, as much as I appreciate having Williams back in Spielberg’s universe, I can’t say Disclosure Day features one of his more memorable scores. It certainly serves the film, helping establish tension and providing the appropriate musical accompaniment to its moments of spectacle, but I didn’t walk away humming anything, nor did I find myself particularly drawn to the music during my second viewing. Perhaps that’s an unfair standard to hold someone to when their body of work includes some of the most recognizable compositions in motion picture history, but that’s also the problem with being John Williams. You’ve set the bar so impossibly high that even perfectly serviceable work can feel like something of a disappointment. I don’t think the score hurts the film, but I also don’t think it elevates the material in the way that some of his previous collaborations with Spielberg have.
One element that deserves recognition is the audio description, which has quite a bit of heavy lifting to do throughout Disclosure Day. Spielberg is an extremely visual filmmaker, and this particular film presents some interesting challenges, especially during its more elaborate chase sequences and the moments involving footage of extraterrestrials being mistreated. Those sequences depend heavily on visual information, and the audio description does an admirable job of communicating the action without losing the momentum of what’s happening on screen. I was particularly interested in how the description handled the footage involving the aliens, because there’s a difference between simply identifying what is happening and conveying the disturbing implications of what we’re being shown. For a film that is fundamentally concerned with the consequences of exposing information, making that information accessible is especially important. It’s also worth remembering that films like Disclosure Day can become frustrating experiences for blind audiences when so much of the storytelling is communicated through imagery rather than dialogue, so having a descriptive track that can keep up with Spielberg’s visual ambitions is certainly appreciated.
Ultimately, I think Disclosure Day is a good Spielberg film, but not necessarily a great one, and perhaps the biggest obstacle standing in its way is Spielberg himself. When you’ve already made Close Encounters of the Third Kind, War of the Worlds, and Minority Report, returning to similar territory inevitably invites comparisons that might not be entirely fair to the new film. There’s enough here to justify the experience, from the performances of Hewson and Grace to some genuinely exciting action sequences and the broader questions surrounding who gets to control the truth. But there’s also a sense that Spielberg has explored some of these ideas more effectively in the past, and that Disclosure Day occasionally struggles to distinguish itself from the filmmaker’s own legacy. Having seen it twice, I can say I enjoyed it both times, and I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from seeing it. I just don’t think it belongs in the upper echelon of Spielberg’s filmography. Disclosure Day is a reminder that even when Spielberg isn’t reinventing the wheel, he’s still a pretty good person to have behind it. I just wish this particular wheel had taken us somewhere a little more unexpected.
Fresh: 7.1/10
