Disclosure Day!
A Spielberg science-fiction return with a strong cast, ambitious ideas, and a story that sometimes struggles under its own density.
This science-fiction offering by Steven Spielberg, starring Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, has been highly anticipated. Supporting actors include the venerable Colin Firth, as well as a standout performance by Colman Domingo. Blunt’s performance earns an A-plus and is likely the best of her career.
Spielberg, who is credited with starting the summer blockbuster tradition with the iconic “Jaws” in 1975, both directed this film and developed the original concept with a multi-page outline of the plot. As the highest-grossing film director of all time he is also credited with redefining science-fiction as a genre, directing films such as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” This film represents Spielberg’s return to science-fiction after an eight-year hiatus.
This PG-13 rated film has delivered strong ticket sales since opening on June 12. Considering the caliber of the cast and Spielberg’s unparalleled résumé spanning five decades, I expected a better cinematic experience than the one the film ultimately delivers. This may be due to how densely packed the plot is, at times making it hard to follow and less resonant than Spielberg’s prior works in the genre.
Set in present day, O’Connor portrays Daniel Kellner, a cybersecurity expert at Wardex, a secret organization that has spent years hiding the known existence of extraterrestrial beings from the public. Wardex believes that revealing the truth to the public would ignite widespread panic, destabilize governments, and plunge society into chaos. Daniel serves as the catalyst for this story when he steals proof of alien life with the intention of revealing it to the public. Wardex kidnaps Daniel’s girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) in an attempt to retrieve the stolen documents but Daniel and Jane are able to escape.
Emily Blunt fully inhabits the role of Margaret Fairchild, a spritely TV meteorologist in Kansas City who begins exhibiting telepathic abilities and then channels an incomprehensible language on-air for no apparent reason. Colin Firth delivers a masterful performance as Noah Scanlon, a senior Wardex executive overseeing cybersecurity and intelligence operations who is determined to keep the truth about extraterrestrial life hidden at all costs. When Noah witnesses Margaret’s bizarre on-air behavior, he sends a team of agents to track her down but she’s able to evade them.
Another Wardex defector, Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) serves as a contact point for Daniel and is able to reach Margaret and guide her toward Daniel. Margaret can telepathically sense when Daniel is in trouble, even though she isn’t quite sure how or why she knows him. Daniel, likewise, is the only person who can understand the incomprehensible language Margaret spoke on air. Their connection is eventually explained as they join forces and are pulled deeper into Wardex’s consequential deceptions.
I found myself wanting to know more about Wardex’s backstory, which is only vaguely explained as being a powerful private corporation with some ties to the government. While the film’s concept is intriguing and likely to appeal to science-fiction fans, its action sequences and unfolding scientific revelations are presented in a choppy, confusing manner. The details are not filled in as to what specifically is feared if the discovery of extraterrestrial life is revealed and why the revelation is likely to wreak havoc. Very little is presented about the extraterrestrial beings themselves, who visually resemble a montage of aliens depicted for decades, with strangely shaped heads and large, pod-like eyes.
The film’s pacing falters under the weight of excessive detail while simultaneously failing to adequately explain some of the story’s most important elements. However, there is enough here to enjoy, particularly if you are a fan of Spielberg and of science-fiction. The terrific acting helps carry the film.
While “Disclosure Day” never reaches the awe and wonder of Spielberg’s classic movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, it nevertheless offers a fresh and thought-provoking take on our enduring fascination with extraterrestrial life.
