Review: Disclosure Day – Reveals more questions than answers
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth
5/10
Steven Spielberg’s at it again with the aliens. He’s explored a variety of aspects of this fixation of his, such as the curiosity (Close Encounters), the affectionate connection (E.T.), the destructive devastation (War of the Worlds), and the potential historical significance (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). So what does he now have to say about extraterrestrial visitation in Disclosure Day? Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell, as it takes a back seat in this woefully uneven and unsure film that can never truly get its bearings on what exactly it wants to be.
We’re thrown into the middle of Daniel’s story (Josh O’Connor), who’s trying to evade the authorities, led by Noah (Colin Firth), with a volatile and dangerous MacGuffin in his hands. Meanwhile, weather reporter Margaret (Emily Blunt) is experiencing strange and uncontrollable episodes of mind-reading and mind-control, which appear to have some connection to Daniel’s story. All the while, government-official-gone-rogue Hugo (Colman Domingo) keeps checking in via phone calls to offer further intriguing plot details, as set construction takes place behind him, all of which is, of course, connected to an extraterrestrial life force. Oh, and WW3 is happening in the background or whatever.
Disclosure Day very much emulates the feeling of a child telling a story: the plot points are so wild and audacious in their imaginative spirit, but their connective tissue is so stupidly contrived, all thanks to the outer-space supernatural elements of mind control allowing easy movement of the story’s progression. Think of it like using the Force to get away from any conflict point over and over again, but now with that Spielbergian treacle-ness. Moments like these are meant to be touching, but their inclusion in the film is so suddenly introduced and bafflingly done that they come across as awkwardly and perhaps unintentionally funny.
And once we arrive at the titular disclosure, its massive info dump is embarrassing because of how unrealistically dramatic it shows the world’s reaction. What makes a film about alien visitation so exciting (say, Spielberg’s own Close Encounters) is the mysterious build-up, revealing more and more through thrilling scenes, until a climax that’s so incredibly dazzling because it feels earned, especially when the story never gets sidetracked. Disclosure Day features the opposite kind of pacing.
It’s unfortunate that the master, like Spielberg, has put together such a film that switches from one story/theme to another without ever strengthening them by connecting these disparate ideas. At least this same brash storytelling sensibility does lead to some wild sequences, such as a climactic scene that has a fairytale wonder (reminiscent of AI: Artificial Intelligence) and, right afterwards, an escape scene that’s quite hysterical, fun, and very unique. But as Spielberg succeeded with infusing 2005’s War of the Worlds with the nihilistic and terroristic alien warfare that reflected post-9/11 and the senselessness of its preceding wars, he has now, conversely, failed to make Disclosure Day reflect our post-pandemic era, where declassification is in high demand.
DAVID MORGAN-BROWN