If you know anything about Steven Spielberg, is that he loves his aliens. From E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to War of the Worlds, he has always been interested in exploring the wonder and horror of extraterrestrial life and how humanity’s own relationship with it, which has ranged from sentimental awe to cynical skepticism. The last time Spielberg dabbled in aliens was 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which for many people was a disappointment on so many levels, so is Disclosure Day a return-to-form for the director tackling this particular subject?
Based on a story conceived by the director himself which then turned into a script by frequent collaborator David Koepp, Disclosure Day centers on a small group of people who are in the pursuit of the Wardex Corporation, a secret arm of the U.S. government. While Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) is on the run due to stealing classified information relating to other life beyond the stars, television meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) suddenly develops psychic abilities that makes her a target of the same shady organization.
The closest comparison this film has to any other Spielberg flick is Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which was our first cinematic exposure of his interest in aliens. While that film had a dark undercurrent through scenes of alien abduction and a man so obsessed in his pursuit of the truth that he abandons his family, wonder is what ultimately defined Close Encounters, which climaxed with everyone unified upon seeing the mothership. Spielberg knew he couldn’t recapture from that magic from 1977, especially alien conspiracy narratives have evolved in various media like The X-Files while our belief system on whether or not we are alone in the universe is always being challenged.
Considering its present-day setting that suggest a third world war could be upon us, Disclosure Day does feel like a throwback thriller from the villainous organization that is constantly watching us with its high-tech screens, to set-pieces that escalate to ridiculous heights like in a Harrison Ford thriller, including a train sequence that features some of Spielberg’s best-directed action. From its opening minutes, Spielberg is about the chase as he relishes the one long takes of characters constantly on the move while the camera swerves around them to get the sense of geography.
However, it is the quieter moments where we see the Spielberg magic and where Janusz Kamiński’s cinematography shines brightest as the light is a constant presence throughout, revealing more of the plot, as well as characters finding out about themselves. With light serving as a visual metaphor to the film’s themes, there is a constant back-and-forth between the cast, debating if the truth should be revealed and how it will change everything, from Eve Hewson’s Jane going through a crisis of faith after being plunged into the conspiracy, to Colin Firth’s villainous Noah who maintains a level of control by viewing humanity through a cynical lens.
More than any other alien flick he has made, Spielberg is less interested in the spectacle of the otherworldly than he is about the everyday people, which may disappoint those who are wanting the directorial flourish that pushes filmmaking technology (like the groundbreaking dinosaurs in Jurassic Park), but the central performances here will stay with you. While Josh O’Connor continues to be this rising star where he can out-act the bigger stars surrounding him, it is ultimately Emily Blunt in a career-best performance that truly stands out in a role that achieves a lot from high emotion to witty one-liners.
