Score: C+
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo
Running time: 145 minutes
Rated PG-13
Long Story Short: Disclosure Day is legendary director Steven Spielberg's thirty-fifth movie over his six-decade career, but while it returns to familiar thematic material, it is one of his poorest works. E.T., Close Encounters, and others come to mind, vaguely, when watching this alien conspiracy movie, but it is a galaxy away in terms of quality, with only Blunt's strong performance and a handful of exciting action scenes to struggle to redeem it. The last thing we need today is false validation of conspiracy theories, Steven - so I would advise audiences to try something else.
Disclosure Day is a disappointing return to scifi for legendary director Steven Spielberg, marred by poor plotting and dialogue and lending implicit credence to wrongheaded ideas. Since much of it is revealed in the trailers and ads, I'll confirm that the main idea is a group of whistleblowers who discover their company's secret of alien life on Earth and try to reveal it to the entire world. The movie starts near the end of that effort, with Daniel (O'Connor), possessing stolen intel and an alien device, being pursued by authorities. You don't know (or aren't supposed to) what's going on, even if you likely already are aware of the underlying alien plot, and the movie gradually reveals more and more details of the specific plot. That's a fine strategy, but it's clumsily executed especially at the beginning; the movie needed a really cool start and instead settles for a fairly boring confrontation at a wrestling match. More interesting is a parallel thread led by Emily Blunt's Margaret, a striving TV weather woman who gains a remarkable ability while having breakfast one morning with her boyfriend. Her partner's (Wyatt Russell) bewildered reactions to her sudden outpouring of seeming nonsense is pretty funny. Margaret, who soon gets pulled into the alien plot, is the movie's most watchable character by far, thanks to Blunt's committed performance. At the supposedly most intense and poignant moments, though, since the movie hasn't earned its payoffs, we're left simply with Blunt staring blankly in shock as we look back with a shrug.
Most of the movie's problems stem from its poor writing and lack of creativity (stunning for a Spielberg production), although it does feature some entertaining action sequences, too. Screenwriter Koepp (a longtime Spielberg partner) consistently tells the audience what to think rather than let the audience experience - and interpret - the story. That's a particularly big problem in a story like this, with its emphasis on mystery. Daniel's abrupt theological argument with his girlfriend upon telling her the secret is a clear example, and it keeps getting worse. There are a few neat action scenes to enjoy, particularly a car being slowly pushed toward an oncoming train, and a funny sequence of ordinary Bad Guys falling over while running into a seemingly empty warehouse. And there are a few lighter moments, such as Margaret and her boyfriend struggling to destroy her phone. But the villain organization, led by Colin Firth, is just your standard Sinister Corporate Baddie, and there are only passing references to an international crisis that the alien reveal will oh-so-conveniently forestall. John Williams is my favorite film composer of all time, but his style is just not a good fit for the movie, despite his relationship with Spielberg. Finally, it's the focus on conspiracy theory itself that bugs me the most. I hate conspiracy theories and dismiss them and their adherents out of hand. That Spielberg would make a movie that essentially tells the tin-foil hat crowd, "you're right (or at least might be), after all!" is astonishingly irresponsible. And also - dull.
***
Disclosure Day ultimately is more like Disappointment Day for me, as I - like so many other movie-goers - am such a huge Steven Spielberg fan. From the very first time I saw a preview of it, I have to say that I had a bad feeling about it - both because it seemed so obvious what the movie was going to be, and because, again, I can't stand conspiracy theories. Granted, UFOs are one of the more benign conspiracies in today's world, but I can't help but roll my eyes any time it's even mentioned. Movies are for make believe, for indulging in fantasy, by all means, but this movie seems more like a blatant effort to show what will and/or should happen some day in the real world. I categorically reject that idea. So, to my total shock, three of the worst movies I've seen this year now are a Pixar movie, a Star Wars movie, and a Spielberg movie. Not long ago, those would - or should - have been among my top three of the year. I guess it's due to some combination of my changing tastes and the growing staleness of some of Hollywood's most venerable franchises and artists. All the more reason to boldly embrace the new and creative efforts from those who are at the top of their game in the movie world today - even if their box office draw is as yet unproven.
* By source, Universal Pictures - http://www.impawards.com/2026/disclosure_day_ver13.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81856655
