Ultimately, Disclosure Day feels like the culmination of a portion of director Steven Spielberg’s oeuvre that perhaps began with Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977. His latest foray into the arrival of extraterrestrials on Earth is less the childlike tale of wonderment that the aforementioned film was, and is more a cynical yet ultimately hopeful exploration of exactly how we might successfully explain the mysteries of the universe.
The film seems to unravel as a political espionage thriller that eventually evolves into a scientific exploration of the place of humans in the universe. As the story begins, vital characters such as Josh O’Connor’s Dr. Daniel Kellner and Emily Blunt’s Margaret Fairchild are introduced through a variety of seemingly happenstance interactions. Ultimately however, things seem to be occurring for some sort of reason and whether these particular individuals can figure out that purpose before the likes of Colin Firth’s Noah Scanlon can stop them serves as the catalyst for the film’s dramatic tension.
In the decade since Spielberg directed The BFG, he has released a total of five films that have ranged from the straight-forward drama of The Post (2017) to the whimsical Oasis in Ready Player One (2018) as well as the works that showcased the director’s exploration of his love of film West Side Story (2021) and family The Fabelmans (2022). Now, he undertakes a return of sorts to his early days as a filmmaker with an epic tale co-written by frequent collaborator David Koepp (who penned films like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [2008], War of the Worlds [2005)], Jurassic Park [1993], and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) for Spielberg).
Beyond, those films and the expectations they may bring for audiences, there is additional growth showcased in this particular production that somehow manages to bring the viewer along even more so for the journey that the filmmaker has embarked upon himself for several decades. In short, Spielberg has grown considerably as a filmmaker and has been kind enough to invite the viewer along for the ride to discuss what is new about the human condition.
Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor in “Disclosure Day.” © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
It helps with this film that the main characters are entrusted to such versatile performers as Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor. Like their counterparts in the aforementioned Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Dee Wallace and Richard Dreyfuss – the actors serve as stand ins for society and both actors deliver. Even the “villain” of the story embodied by Firth’s character shows a bit of growth only hinted at in Peter Coyote’s similar character in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Working with familiar faces such as cinematographer Janusz Kamiński provides a certain through line to Spielberg’s film as does the soundtrack provided by John Williams. But it is the ever-present optimism that the future might just not be all that bad that pervades Disclosure Day and embodies it with that infectious feeling of hope that is the hallmark of the filmmaker’s best work.
WHERE TO WATCH: (powered by JustWatch)
| Producer: | Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg |
| Release Date: | June 12, 2025 |
| Running Time: | 145 minutes |
| Starring: | Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell |
| Writer: | David Koepp |
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 (for action/violence, some bloody images and strong language) |
| Director: | Steven Spielberg |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| External Info: | Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (TWITTER) / #DisclosureDay |