I kinda loved it but also kinda hated it.
That’s my reaction to director and co-writer Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day,” the kind of ambitious summer blockbuster that only a filmmaker of his stature could get made. Equal parts mystery, science fiction spectacle, and philosophical drama, the film spends more than two hours asking a simple but fascinating question: if someone proved beyond any doubt that humanity was not alone in the universe, how would we react?
This sci-fi thriller follows a Kansas City t.v. meteorologist (Emily Blunt) and a cybersecurity whistleblower (Josh O’Connor) who team up to expose a 79-year government cover-up proving that extraterrestrial life has visited Earth. Racing to expose the classified file proving alien contact, they are pursued by a secretive paramilitary corporation led by Noah (Colin Firth).
While parts of the screenplay are a real mess, Spielberg’s direction is exceptional. He is masterful at building tension with remarkable confidence, all while delivering several genuinely thrilling action sequences. The mystery unfolds at an engaging pace, and Spielberg once again demonstrates his gift for drawing strong performances from a talented cast. This film features a career-best turn from Blunt, and the rest of the cast are terrific as well.
Spielberg attempts to anchor the spectacle in larger ideas about hope, truth, empathy, and human connection. The story positions disclosure not simply as a political event but as a therapeutic necessity for humanity, arguing that our capacity for understanding one another may be our greatest evolutionary strength. Ultimately, the film asks humanity to do one thing: listen.
Unfortunately, the script struggles to support the weight of those ambitions.
The story introduces alien abductions, psychic abilities, and other major concepts that are never adequately explained, creating a frustrating sense that important pieces of the narrative are missing. Character motivations frequently feel inconsistent, particularly Firth’s mysterious government operative, whose actions in the final act seem entirely at odds with the character established earlier in the film. Other characters like Hugo (Colman Domingo) have story arcs so minor that they feel unnecessary.
The screenplay also reaches for profound observations that never fully get to where they want to (or could) go. Major ideological threads like a former nun (Eve Hewson) wrestling with the implications of extraterrestrial life on her faith are reduced to brief, talky exchanges rather than meaningful exploration. In an era shaped by social media, misinformation, and widespread distrust of institutions, the film’s central belief that a single broadcast could instantly unite humanity feels surprisingly naïve. Suspension of disbelief can only stretch so far.
The final act is where the film ultimately falls apart. After spending well over two hours building toward a civilization-changing revelation, the film abruptly cuts away just as the most interesting consequences should begin. The lack of payoff leaves the ending feeling incomplete and deeply unsatisfying. Adding to the disappointment are visual effects that are surprisingly uneven for a production of this scale, particularly several sequences featuring obviously artificial animals that border on cartoonish. The CGI in a movie like this should not be laughable.
Despite its flaws, “Disclosure Day” remains an entertaining summer thrill ride. Spielberg’s craftsmanship is simply too strong to make for a bad film, and the combination of confident direction, excellent performances, effective music (with a fantastic score by longtime collaborator and friend John Williams), and genuine thematic ambition carries the film through many of its narrative shortcomings. The story may not be nearly as profound as it believes itself to be, but if you can embrace its myriad problems and go along for the ride, there is still plenty to admire. This is an imperfect but engaging blockbuster that succeeds more often than it fails, even if its final revelation never quite delivers on the promise of its setup.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 