Disclosure Day: Big on Action, Light on Fresh Ideas
Steven Spielberg's latest sci-fi film "Disclosure Day" is an entertaining summer blockbuster, but critics say it lacks originality despite strong performances.
The summer blockbuster season has officially begun with the release of Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated return to his aliens-among-us roots, "Disclosure Day." The film is fast-paced and features a luminous performance by Emily Blunt, but it offers little that is fresh or original for the alien movie genre.
The first half of the film is a political thriller reminiscent of 1974's "The Parallax View." Global tensions have the world on the brink of World War III. Cybersecurity specialist Daniel (Josh O'Connor) steals alien technology and highly classified files from his employer, Wardex Corporation—a secret U.S. government extension led by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Scanlon forces Daniel out by taking his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) hostage. At the exchange, Daniel double-crosses them and escapes with Jane. They go on the run as Scanlon brands Daniel a traitor.
Meanwhile, Kansas City TV meteorologist Margaret (Emily Blunt) is having breakfast with her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell) when a cardinal flies through the window and locks eyes with her. She then resumes their conversation in Russian—a language she has never learned. On her way to work, she realizes she can read people's thoughts and feelings and speak their native languages. In a pivotal moment shown in trailers, Margaret begins her live weather report but lapses into an alien language on air. The moment goes viral.
This brings her to the attention of Scanlon and his Wardex colleague Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), who is actually orchestrating Daniel's theft. Hugo's goal is to reveal the contents—details of human-alien encounters over the last 80 years—to the world. Scanlon is determined to suppress the truth, leading to a high-stakes race as Daniel and Margaret try to evade his agents and find each other.
Critics remain tight-lipped about the final 30 minutes to avoid spoilers, but note a distinct shift toward the mystical as plotlines converge. In Spielberg's hands, it works, though some criticize the CGI, particularly for animals. Given what the animals represent, the decision to make them otherworldly—as if stepping from a fairy tale into a darker, grittier world—seems justified.
