“Disclosure Day” is a welcome return of one of the greats

When it comes to the great modern directors, Steven Spielberg is near the top of that list: if not THE top. He is at a point in his career where he has earned the right to make the movies he wants, when he wants. His last movie, "The Fablemans," was released in 2022, and he has not directed a movie since. Not many directors can take four years off between movies, so when one of the greats puts out a movie, it is an event.

"Disclosure Day" tells the story of Margaret (Emily Blunt) and Daniel (Josh O'Connor) as they race to reveal the truth about aliens before Noah (Colin Firth) and his organization can stop them.

I think Blunt and O'Connor are fantastic in this movie. Almost every scene in the movie features one of them, and compelling protagonists. Margaret and Daniel share a mysterious connection and are drawn towards one another as they figure out what is going on. Margaret is a weather reporter who, during a weather report, starts speaking in an unrecognizable language, but when Daniel hears it, he understands her. Daniel is a hacker with an innate understanding of math. These two have clearly been destined for this mission. We do get an answer to why these two are connected, but it isn’t explored as deeply as it could have been.

It’s not a hot take to say that Spielberg is an incredible director and does some very cool things with the camera in “Disclosure Day.” One that sticks out is when Noah’s goons find Daniel in the woods. He has been outside making a call to one of the people helping him when the bad guys pull up to the cabin where he and his girlfriend are hiding. All the goons are approaching the house, and he sneaks down a fence line to steal one of their cars to distract them. The camera follows him down the fence line and into the car in one long shot. This is just one of many incredible sequences that Spielberg pulls off.

There is a lot to like about "Disclosure Day," but I think your opinion of this movie is going to rest on what you think of the ending. Without spoiling anything, I will just say that I was hoping the movie would have something to say about humanity, and it didn't. Throughout the film, there is a battle between "people need the truth" and "the truth would destroy society," and it never really pays off. I did like this movie a lot and will likely watch it again when it's available on streaming. I just wish it explored some of its themes more fully.

7/10

Rated PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images, and strong language.

2h 25m