'Disclosure Day' review: Spielberg questions preparedness for alien existence

5 days ago 21

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Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor in "Disclosure Day"

Universal Pictures

MANILA, Philippines — Veteran filmmaker Steven Spielberg returns to the director's chair for a science-fiction movie about aliens, asking in "Disclosure Day" if mankind is ready to learn that extraterrestrial beings exist.

The movie drops in immediately on cybsercurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor), a whistleblower for the secretive Wardex corporation as he carries files proving decades of human-alien interaction.

Wardex's head Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) attempts to exchange the stolen files for Kellner's girlfriend Jane (Eve Hawson), but the couple manages to escape and tries to reconnect with lead Wardex defector Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo).

Meanwhile, reporter Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) finds herself one day capable of speaking numerous langauges and knowing people's pasts just by looking at them, and a viral clip of her doing the former catches the interest of both Scalon and Wakefield.

The film's title is taken from the date when all information about aliens will be unveiled to the public; however, Spielberg's thesis is this: are we prepared to embrace that knowledge?

Such questions are not uncommon to the Oscar winner, whose alien-centric movies range from "E.T." to the fourth "Indiana Jones" entry, each with a different approach to extraterrestrial presence.

A past work for the closest point of comparison is, coincidentally, Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" nearly half a century ago, which was an innocent take on alien contact.

In "Disclosure Day," the filmmaker examines the mental, emotional, and even religious fitness of people to welcome the existence of aliens.

It's a huge credit to the director's talent for storytelling to make an engaging story out of that premise, diving into suspense and action territory, so much that it often outweighs the screenplay of frequent collaborator David Koepp.

Longtime partners that delivered far and beyond yet again for Spielberg are cinematographer Janusz Kaminski and legendary composer John Williams, all three working together for the 18th time.

The film utilizes frenetic yet controlled camerawork, especially during active long takes involving O'Connor's Kellner; meanwhile, Williams produced yet another subtle, contemplative score that harkens back to years of familiarity within extraterrestrial subjects.

O'Connor and Blunt are both very capable leads, the latter matched by Hawson in portraying well the difficult adaptation to new grounds, particularly when it shatters established beliefs.

Firth may be better known for classy performances, but his complex takes on antagonists like Scanlon are just as welcome. Additionally, any film that makes great use of Domingo's silky, calming voice are massive step in the right direction.

It's quite remarkable how after all these years, the movie industry still manages to find new themes to discuss the existence of aliens.

However, it could only take someone like Spielberg, who has long been fascinated with life beyond the stars, to captivate the way "Disclosure Day" does.

Even after the credits roll, the question remains: are you ready for the truth?

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