Steven Spielberg is one of the most prolific Hollywood directors of all time. It has been almost 50 years since he made his first movie about life on other planets when he released “Close Encounters of the Third Kind." "Disclosure Day" marks his fifth such film, and, much like the best of his previous extraterrestrial features, it is a formally well-made film that uses an otherworldly concept to tell a touching and very human story.
Steven Spielberg’s long-tenured success as a filmmaker can, in large part, be attributed to the consistent mastery of his craft. The film marks the 21st collaboration between Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, and much like many of their previous collaborations, "Disclosure Day" is visually striking.
Not only are there a plethora of visually striking images, but the film’s cinematography includes several incredible tracking shots that have become a major part of Spielberg’s style. Even outside the tracking shots, the camera movement is incredibly kinetic and keeps the film engaging at all times.
The cinematography seriously complements the film’s action setpieces. The beautiful imagery highlights the creativity of the action, and the dynamic nature of the camera keeps the adrenaline pumping through the film's more traditional car chases.
The impressive craft on display doesn’t start and end with the cinematography, as "Disclosure Day" marks the 30th collaboration between Spielberg and legendary composer John Williams, whose score always meets the moment and really complements Spielberg’s direction and the script.
While the score is unlikely to be anyone’s favorite of his when competing with “Star Wars”, “Jaws”, “Jurassic Park” and the Indiana Jones films, that shouldn’t take away from the work Williams does with "Disclosure Day". It’s a great score from a legendary composer that’s worth staying through the credits to listen to, especially when it could be the 94-year-old’s last.
The talent in front of the camera is just as notable as the talent behind it, and the film’s standout performance is from Emily Blunt, whose previous work with some of the world’s best directors in “Sicario” and “Oppenheimer” has proven that she can be a star, and she shines here as "Disclosure Day" could be her best performance yet.
Blunt’s Margaret Fairchild, without giving too much away, symbolizes human empathy in a world where it’s severely lacking. She is the heart and soul of this film, and her performance is incredibly powerful.
Josh O’Connor delivers a solid performance as Daniel Kellner, and his representation of humanity’s logic works as an excellent foil to Fairchild’s empathy. Their chemistry in the film’s final third is truly special.
Kellner is also a brilliant foil to his girlfriend, Jane, played by Eve Hewson. The film uses Jane to explore what the discovery of alien life means from a religious point of view. Her conversations with Sister Maura, a nun from her past played brilliantly by Elizabeth Marvel, are incredibly poignant and central to the film’s question of what alien life means for humans, philosophically speaking.
Trying to stop these conversations from happening at all is Noah Scanlon, played brilliantly by Colin Firth. He is the CEO of Wardex, the fictional corporation that has kept aliens secret for decades. Scanlon’s insane level of determination to conceal the truth is incredibly fun to watch as Firth is allowed to ham it up as a comically evil antagonist.
Colman Domingo’s Hugo Wakefield is everything Scanlon isn’t, and Domingo does an excellent job at being the opposite of Firth. He gives a reserved performance that is just as memorable and serves the story very well.
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The most divisive element of "Disclosure Day" has proven to be David Koepp’s script. The film has been hailed as “Steven Spielberg’s return to summer blockbusters,” and releasing on the 45th anniversary of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was no coincidence from a marketing perspective. However, "Disclosure Day" is not concerned with spectacles, and viewers who expect that will be disappointed to find that it has just as much in common with a film like “The Post.” "Disclosure Day" is slower and more meditative than Spielberg’s classics.
The script also drops the audience into this world and forces them to piece certain aspects of it together or simply wonder what they can’t explain. Like many of Spielberg’s previous works, "Disclosure Day" has a MacGuffin, or plot device to drive the film forward: the mysterious alien technology that can seemingly do anything without much explanation. That’s an aspect of the film that will leave a bad taste in certain viewers' mouths, but I found the lack of exposition to be pertinent to the film’s themes of hidden information.
In the end, the craft from Spielberg and crew is undeniable; he also gets great performances from the cast, which alone make "Disclosure Day" worth the price of admission, but that is not all it had to offer. This is a thematically rich film, and those who are willing to engage with the commentary about human nature and empathy will connect with it. This is not a crowd-pleaser, and there are valid criticisms of the script that viewers who don’t connect with it will no doubt focus on. This is a true “love it or hate it” film that I can’t help but admire.
Marley Herndon is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @Dailylobo
