July 24th: Disclosure Day
Disclosure Day
Released: 2026
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, Wyatt Russell
I am going to be honest. I think I might come back a year from now and feel this movie is better than I thought. Or maybe worse. The flaws are pretty clear, but so are its strengths. It feels like we are coming in the middle of a story, yet it also feels like a parallel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. If I sound like a confused mess, that feels like the experience of Disclosure Day.
First, let’s talk about the strengths. Steven Spielberg has proven again and again and again that he is a great director. The way he moves the camera. The way he pulls the audience into the action. The way he can use a close-up from an angle to say something without dialogue. The man knows how to make films, and this one has some great scenes because of his expertise. The other major strength is the acting. Emily Blunt leads the way with her manic performance as someone being deluged by changes to her understanding of the world while still determined to follow through wherever this adventure takes her. Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, and Colman Domingo all show why they continue to be cast in major films. Eve Hewson gives a great performance as a former nun drawn into this story because of her boyfriend. All of these excellent actors put real effort into sometimes baffling dialogue and storytelling choices. About the storytelling…
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**SPOILERS FROM HERE OUT** The story has so much happening but so little depth. You are left with questions, not because it is mysterious or complicated, but because so many of the choices being made are odd. Why can’t the Wardex agents actually capture Daniel even after they have already captured him? Like at one point he fakes a car jumping off a cliff and then runs a bit away, and they think he crashed and do not look to their left. I understand the aliens being upset at the torture and dissection of their fellows, but they are literally show doing experiments on children? Why does Richard Nixon show the aliens to Jackie Gleason? I understand that Scanlon and Wardex believe they are protecting humanity but why is Boyd so gung ho in going after Margaret and Daniel? Why are the aliens talking through a nerd and a weather person from Kansas City? Why are the aliens short in the footage and then the last one is like eight feet tall?
Small Observations:
- There are some genuinely emotional scenes. In a flashback, ten-year-old Margaret is being experimented on by the aliens, and next to her is a terrified Daniel, maybe seven or eight years old. She immediately reaches out to hold his hand to comfort him, even though she is clearly scared herself.
- The message, which I honestly don’t think is given enough room, is about embracing empathy. For each other. For other sentient beings. For the universe itself. The world of the film mirrors ours in that powerful people exploit tensions, creating fear and distrust in order to gain more power. Ultimately, this is less about the existence of aliens and more about something so profound that it has the power to unify us. But there is so much noise that it becomes difficult to fully appreciate that message.
- Weird, but I honestly didn’t expect the first person I would see on screen to be professional wrestler Lance Archer. I literally said aloud, “Hey, that’s Lance Archer.” Then I questioned whether I was watching the right movie.
- MCU actors: 1 and one Marvel voice actor
Overall Rank: B
This is a movie with so much potential. Right now, the strengths and flaws balance each other out. On future viewings? I honestly don’t know. If you can tolerate some odd choices, you might want to give it a shot.
