Does the world at large deserve to know about the existence of extraterrestrials? The question has been asked a lot lately, as the current Presidential administration uses the idea of disclosure as a means of distraction. Perhaps no filmmaker has been more interested in the subject of extraterrestrials than Steven Spielberg, and Disclosure Day brings him right back into his wheelhouse. It’s the kind of large-scale, adventuresome summer epic that few can do better than Spielberg, and even when weighed down by heavy themes and sketchy plotting, there’s no question that it will have you on the edge of your seat.
A reunion between Spielberg and writer David Koepp (Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds), Disclosure Day doesn’t waste any time getting right to the action. Josh O’Connor stars as Kellner, a seemingly normal guy who works as a cybersecurity expert for a shady company called Wardex. Their mission is to keep the secret of extraterrestrials from the public, working outside of the federal government to such a degree they seem to have gone rogue. Kellner is a potential whistleblower, who has stolen top secret files and alien tech, with plans to reveal them to the world. But he’s lured into a trap by Colin Firth’s Noah Scanlon, the head of Wardex who has kidnapped Kellner’s girlfriend, Jane, played by Flora & Son star Eve Hewson.
Meanwhile, Emily Blunt is introduced as Kansas City weatherperson Margaret Fairchild. She seems sort of adrift in life, constantly moving from city to city, trying to find what feels right. Wyatt Russell is her beleaguered musician boyfriend, who is rightfully freaked out when Margaret suddenly starts spouting new languages she’s never learned before, and muttering alien gibberish on air. This puts her in the crosshairs of Wardex, but also in the orbit of Kellner, as the two seem to be linked.
Did I mention that all of this is happening under the threat of nuclear annihilation? There’s a lot happening in Disclosure Day, which takes on the shape of many different kinds of movies along the way. If this were 30 years ago, Spielberg and Koepp probably would’ve centered the story on kids. It’s wholesome enough that they wouldn’t have to change all that much. Maybe loosen up on some of the more dangerous set pieces, such as a trainwreck sequence that is pretty scary, but also very exciting. Some of the heftier themes, such as how the knowledge of aliens could shake one’s faith, are only touched upon softly then unfortunately dropped. But the pace rarely drops, with the film becoming a cat-and-mouse chase film much of the way. Few can carry breakneck momentum better than Spielberg, and he moves us from action sequence to action sequence seamlessly, aided by another fantastic, swelling score by John Williams.
The idea seems to be that if the existence of aliens is brought to the world, it would unify humanity in a way that we’ve never seen. Well, never seen unless you’ve watched Independence Day, I suppose. It’s not the boldest idea, but framing it as a Snowden-esque whistleblower thriller is pretty clever, and fits in with the moment that we are living in. Spielberg and Koepp also tease the polar opposite idea, which is also compelling, that the reveal of such information could push the world over the edge into chaos. Koepp, who also wrote Spielberg’s unfortunate Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, has a tendency towards corny dialogue and excessive use of exposition. Unfortunately, Colman Domingo, who plays a former Wardex employee and Kellner’s guide, is the one saddled with this problem more than others.
O’Connor is reliably strong as Kellner, who is sort of the Fox Mulder of this story. He’s fully committed to his mission and the belief that humans must know about the presence of extraterrestrials. Blunt’s character has the greatest evolution. At first we see her as just an ambitious wannabe celeb, with her role slightly more comedic and off to the side. But she really takes over in the final act, and delivers the emotional coup-de-grace that we’ve come to expect from a Spielberg movie.
There’s a reason why every Spielberg movie feels like a major event. Nobody else makes movies like him that are so full of heart, and always have something in them for everyone to enjoy. Disclosure Day, while far from perfect, is another one of those movies that is uniquely Spielberg, and we need him now more than ever.
Disclosure Day hits theaters on June 12th from Universal Pictures.
