Spielberg’s DISCLOSURE DAY Goes Beyond Conspiracy to Look at Humanity

With a government conspiracy on the brink of exposure, an unsuspecting weather reporter finds herself pulled into an espionage ring, discovering that humans are perhaps not alone after all. Directed by Steven Spielberg with a script by David Koepp, Disclosure Day has everything you’d expect out of a science-fiction picture by the acclaimed director. But this film goes beyond thrilling adventures for something much more profound about connection and understanding

It’s the quintessential summer blockbuster. From its beginning, we are dropped into a high-stakes situation that, while disorienting at first, keeps you locked in for a 2-hour 20-minute ride through a vast extraterrestrial conspiracy. Enveloped by the warmth of a John Williams score, the film oozes with the same alien nostalgia of Spielberg‘s other beloved sci-fi epics like War of the Worlds, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and, of course, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

And while the film hinges heavily on that conspiracy theory narrative, it’s by no means your generic space invasion flick. The notion of aliens is at the forefront, but it’s not the most important facet of the story. For some, that might be disappointing, especially if you’re expecting the focus to be on who or what these beings could be. But the film is much more interested in the human experience, more importantly, how compassion and the need for understanding are things our world so desperately needs.

The film’s biggest themes surround this idea of how we’ve lost our humanity. It’s speaking directly to the audience about how we fear so much of what we don’t know. How we never stop to listen, to understand, or to help those around us. This is where the film is its strongest. And again, perhaps something that will be divisive among audiences.

But I think the film poses a lot of interesting questions. Specifically, what knowledge we’re owed from government entities. While that information should belong to everyone, can we as a society handle that revelation, but also, who has the right to decide that?

Beyond the deeply thought-provoking themes of the film, it wouldn’t be quite as impactful without the two compassionate performances from Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, who are both thrust into a mission of bringing the truth to light. Their scenes together hold so much weight, but I also found Blunt on her own to be so incredible in this. There are many moments of levity with her character where the actress shows her comedic timing, but then she’s also able to navigate effortlessly into darker, more emotional scenes.

It’s not just those two who bring a lot of life into the film. This really is a well-rounded ensemble, even down to the smallest of parts. But I loved the menacing performance by Colin Firth and how it’s balanced by a very comforting presence that Colman Domingo brings.

There are times when the film gets a bit heavy-handed, especially with Eve Hewson‘s character, though she performs well. She just felt a little forced in, and as the film dives into ideas of religion, it continues to be a bit overdone. Although they do eventually get to a throughline that makes sense, there were just some instances where I think Koepp‘s script could have been tightened up slightly.

But I found Disclosure Day to be a real delight for me. There’s a surprisingly charming wit to it with a deeply profound message. It may not be Spielberg’s strongest film to date, but its relevance and meaning feel important today.