Disclosure Day Review

Aliens have visited Earth through film in a million different ways. Some stories regale you with wars from long ago in a galaxy far, far away; some are about their war to conquer the planet, and in some, they even get to go to Las Vegas! They typically fit into telling stories about the other because of their foreignness to what we understand about being. Spielberg is no stranger to alien stories, especially ones about a guy my buddies and I would beat with hammers. While many of those stories approach aliens from the front, Disclosure Day takes a step back, becoming more of an observer of another rather than an opponent. 

There is no man vs. alien on display in Disclosure Day, but Man vs. Man over the subject of aliens. With John Williams’ score elevating every brilliant performance, Disclosure Day fits into the long line of incredible films from Spielberg while remaining relevant to the world of now and what lies beyond. 

Disclosure Day follows a meteorologist (Emily Blunt) and a cybersecurity expert (Josh O’Connor) who find themselves at the center of a movement to expose the government’s cover-up of extraterrestrial secrets.

There is something wholly unique about how Steven Spielberg directs a film. Every pan, angle, and following shot feels carefully crafted for the narrative. The film is set in the mundane with fantastical elements that never feel left out of balance. The script by David Koepp is tight and rings true with every actor’s performance. With Spielberg’s story and direction, the script lends itself to his particular elements, as it has in their previous collaborations. It has some of the same feelings as War of the Worlds, but in a very different way.

War of the Worlds is a film that spun out of the tragedy and fallout from 9/11 to be a deeply harrowing and horrifying film. Disclosure Day deals with some of the similar themes with aliens, but rings truer in today’s world, where outright cruelty is commonplace by the US Government. It reflects the world in which it exists and uses the Other narrative to show the harm we are causing so many people, and how we have done so for so long. It’s an interesting introspection into Spielberg’s current mindset on the world, where sincerity isn’t easy to come by. 

Where War of the Worlds is cruel, Disclosure Day exchanges it for sincerity and trying to see the other people around you. Its message is one I hope people try to hear when they walk out of the theatre. There is one particular speech by Colman Domingo that brings together all the threads of what is being said in an incredible performance.

Emily Blunt is more of a passenger in the film than she is her own person, which she portrays beautifully. There is something going on with her that she doesn’t understand, but it’s guiding her to where she needs to be. It’s such a fun performance from Blunt with some really moving moments of clarity. Once she is united with Josh O’Connor, the truth is slowly revealed, but the two bring it to a crescendo with their chemistry and performances.

O’Connor jumps in the deep end from the very start of the film, on the run. There is no flashback or extra context, which only makes the film stronger by building on the mystery from the very first moments. His performance as someone who chose to throw their entire life away to spread the truth rings true. He must make some of the hardest choices in the film, and O’Connor’s expressions and mannerisms sell everything the character is being put through. 

Spielberg did not reach the top of the mountain of filmmakers alone. Without John Williams, I am not sure there is a Steven Spielberg as we know it. The two work together in order to craft some of the greatest films of all time because their score has as much of a place in the film as the actors and sets. 

John Williams delivers another moving epic score for Disclosure Day that hits so aptly in certain scenes in the film. The power of music to drive dread, humility, and love is one of the most important parts of film, and Williams never lets me down. 

Disclosure Day is an alien film unlike many before it. Where many rely on cruelty and violence toward the Other, Disclosure Day keeps its focus on actually seeing the Other. When we, as people, lose sight of our humanity out of fear, we make ourselves less human than the thing we fear.