It’s Important You See Disclosure Day
Steven Spielberg’s career began with extraterrestrial investigation with 1964’s Firelight, and the narrative has followed him throughout his career. Close Encounters, E.T, War of the Worlds, and even Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would go on to gross millions in Spielberg’s entourage of intergalactic science fiction flicks. Disclosure Day being a return to the narrative was big for many cinemagoers, but how does the final film stack up against his previous work in the same vain?
The gap in release windows between Disclosure Day and Spielberg’s previous film, 2022’s The Fabelmans, is one of the director’s biggest in a while (since 1993 and 1997, though Spielberg released two films both years). The time and effort spent on the film is on display from the first act, with the narrative being so meticulously crafted to lead the viewer certain paths without outright revealing its key twists and plotpoints right out the gate.
Something unexpected that I found myself captivated by was how some shots and plotpoints mirrored that of the posters released for the film. I loved realizing in real-time what Spielberg meant by some of these posters, and how their composition ended up coming together to—again—shine light on some significant plotpoints without giving too much away. The key visuals released leading up to the film’s premiere were something I always found striking; the eye and Emily Blunt standing alongside a canary feel so right for this story. I always felt myself drawn to these brilliant displays of cool light in the composition, much as those shown in UAP footage seem to be by the light show they witness.
This is the second extraterrestrial thriller Spielberg has worked together with screenwriter David Koepp on, following 2005’s War of the Worlds which Koepp co-wrote with Josh Friedman. While the story of Disclosure Day are much less action-packed than the display in WotW, the action scenes in the film still feel very tense and help hike the stakes by the end of each one.
I don’t think these sequences would have worked as well as they did without the excellent acting of Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor as Margaret Fairchild and Daniel Kellner respectively. Their dynamic feels so grounded and realistic, two people who know their importance despite having just met each other. O’Connor portrays a neurotic, cautious yet passionate Daniel to perfection, but Emily Blunt’s performance as Margaret is one of the best I’ve seen in both her career and Spielberg’s filmography. The emotion her character holds and the weight she has to carry, whether keeping it inside or letting it out, Blunt sells this role better than anyone else could have. Her performance is easily the highlight of this film, a highlight of her career, and one I’m confident will lead the talks for actress Oscars in the coming months.
Disclosure Day grossed over $90 million worldwide in its opening weekend, going above and beyond projected box office numbers. Spielberg’s still got it, both in terms of filmmaking and keeping an audience coming back. It’s a captivating story with some of its actors’ best performances in their careers, and John Williams nails it on the soundtrack as always.
Disclosure Day is now playing in theaters worldwide. Wanna explore more alien movies? Check out The Brother from Another Planet and Wow Signal over on our sister site, Galxy!