Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: David Koepp
Run Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
When Steven Spielberg released Jaws in 1975, he essentially invented the summer blockbuster. Now, over fifty years later, he’s still shaping this celluloid season with big, bold cinema. His latest, Disclosure Day, sees him return to the extraterrestrial subject matter that’s defined some of his most enduring films, but is revisiting such familiar territory cause for celebration, or concern?
Disclosure Day follows cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), who is on the run from his employer, Wardex, after stealing alien technology and files containing evidence of extraterrestrial encounters. Elsewhere, weather presenter Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) begins to exhibit increasingly unusual behaviour and, during a live broadcast, starts to speak in an alien language. As both attempt to evade capture by Wardex CEO Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), their paths gradually converge with the help of Daniel’s fellow company defector Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) and Margaret’s emerging psychic abilities.
Spielberg wastes no time getting started, instantly immersing audiences in the action with a curious cold opening that sees O’Connor’s Daniel seated in the crowd at a wrestling match, but he’s not there for the takedowns or body slams. Instead, he’s being held at gunpoint by some shady looking folks and being forced to hand over a backpack in exchange for the safe return of his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson). Immediately there’s intrigue: what’s in the backpack? Who are the people after it? And what’s the mysterious MacGuffin Daniel uses to escape? All these questions set the mind racing, but with the plot darting to its next location with urgent pace, there’s no waiting around to figure them out.
This momentum is great though, keeping audiences entertained while the central extraterrestrial mystery gradually unfolds. This is the case for much of the first two acts, with Speilberg delivering standout action sequences that remind audiences just why he’s so renowned for cinematic spectacle. Whether his characters are manoeuvring through high-speed car chases, at the centre of newly forming crop circles or hanging off the side of trains, he gives these moments the attention to detail required to make them both convincing and thrilling. Coupled with the nostalgic score from longtime collaborator John Williams, Disclosure Day evokes all the adventure and wonder of a classic Indiana Jones film, perhaps nowhere more so than when the characters stop off at the aptly named “Inn-Di-Ana” motel — we see what you did there Steven.
Often Disclosure Day does feel closer to an adventure movie than an alien one. With Daniel and Margaret on the run from Wardex, there’s even somewhat of a conspiracy thriller feel to it in places. Making it less War of the Worlds (2005) and more Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Yet, David Koepp’s screenplay doesn’t always make the most of its interplanetary ideas. Choosing to detail how the titular event is achieved, rather than following the fallout from it — what many assumed would be the premise — makes this a different kind of story. However, neither the suspense around whether or not the characters will achieve their goal, nor the moral debate that ponders if they even should, are invested in enough to make the script as exciting as Spielberg’s direction is.
There are brief glimpses of this though, primarily through Eve Hewson’s character Jane, who has strong faith in god. She acts as the only real conflict between Daniel and his plan to reveal the secrets that he’s stolen. Her standout scene is one opposite Colin Firth’s Noah, as the pair face off in an intense collision of science and religion. As he attempts to manipulate her she literally clings onto her faith, using the symbol of the cross in an attempt to resist him. It provides an engaging visual clash and one with the potential to enrich the narrative in a deeper, more thought-provoking way, but it’s sadly neglected after this. As for the tension, it’s never really a question of whether or not the characters will reveal the truth, if anything, it’s a little too easy for them.
The main reason for this is that Disclosure Day opts for a more emotional third act, one that favours personal character revelations over any major action set piece. It’s not unsuccessful in this either, providing the answers that both audiences and characters alike have been searching for throughout the runtime. Although, it just doesn’t quite make for as moving a moment as was maybe intended, in turn running the risk of underwhelming its viewers.
Its two main stars, Josh O’Connor and Emily Blunt, are better than the material they have to work with too. It’s mostly down to them that the film remains so compelling. Blunt in particular is fantastic, portraying a character troubled with new abilities and overwhelmed by emotion. She does so with a sincerity that could have been lost with a lesser actor. Whereas O’Connor, capitalising on his wonderful performance in Wake Up Dead Man (2025), cements his status not just as an indie favourite, but as a bankable blockbuster leading man too.
They, along with commendable support from Colman Domingo, confidently lead us to a finale that delivers what has been promised all along. It’s not filled with shock value or extravagant set pieces, but a calm, collected divulgence of life-altering facts. In readying audiences to hear these truths, Spielberg asks us to be empathetic. In many ways, it’s an idealistic — even naïve — vision of what such an event might look like, but it’s also deeply hopeful. And knowing that this is something the director genuinely believes, it’s hard to remain entirely cynical.
Star Rating: ★ ★ ★
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