Disclosure Day (2026) Review
3/5
One of the titans of the industry makes his way back to the big screen as Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day, hits theaters this weekend. Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Colin Firth, the film follows a group of people who possess the knowledge of the existence of aliens on Earth and make it their mission to share this truth with the rest of the world. Spielberg is no stranger to the sci-fi genre and aliens as a subject, so like many, seeing a summer release had me excited for something special. What Disclosure Day ended up being for me was a good watch but ultimately disappointing.
Spielberg continues to prove why even at 79, he’s not slowing down. He remains one of the best at visual storytelling, meticulously blocking each frame in a way that a chef crafts each plate at a Michelin-star restaurant. He’s always been known for creative uses of reflections, lighting, and other camera tricks, and here he shows he still has his fastball. A scene I really want to highlight is when Josh O'Connor's Daniel is trying to get back to a farmhouse, but the government agency Wardex looking for him has already set a perimeter around the house. Spielberg shoots this scene in a creatively fun one take as he sneaks into one of their cars and then ends up driving into the house to get to his girlfriend, Jane, played by Hewson.
I don’t think I’ve ever fully appreciated how well Spielberg shoots car scenes, whether it’s just casual drives or full-on car chases. He and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński show off some incredibly inventive ways to shoot these scenes. The movie just feels like classic Spielberg, and while my issues lie mainly with the story and script, I can’t complain about the feeling I get from seeing his distinctive lighting and blocking style.
The heart of this story lies within Spielberg’s belief and wonder. In movies like E.T. The Extra Terrestrial we see that wonder for things we don’t know. But here, the wonder is in people. The movie really isn’t about aliens; it’s about the way people can come together, empathize with each other, and empathize with something they don’t quite understand. He is incredibly hopeful; he always has been, and that still comes through the screen. I also see truth as fundamental to the story. The whole plot hinges on the struggle between two factions fighting over the beliefs that people deserve the truth and the responsibility to withhold certain truths to protect others. This is a fascinating moral dilemma that really muddies the waters of what is right and wrong. You might think the obvious answer is that people deserve the truth, but when you factor in the effects the truth can have on people and on society, maybe some truths are best left a secret. I do wish the movie would’ve fleshed this out more, though, as Spielberg makes a definitive claim on which side he believes is right without deeper exploration. I felt like we could have seen more pushback from both sides to really emphasize why each is vindicated in their beliefs, but outside of a conversation between Domingo and Firth, the movie is less interested in that and more interested in establishing chase set pieces.
I found the ending of Disclosure Day to be mostly electric, as it is the culmination of every chase, every interrogation, and every getaway. The unsung hero of all this is Courtney Grace, who, as a former news anchor, carries the film’s conclusion with the raw human emotion the moment needed. People have spoken about being carried away by the emotions of the scenes, and while I did not have those experiences, I can certainly see why.
Speaking of performances, this is a Mount Rushmore-esque performance from Emily Blunt as Margaret, a weather reporter who discovers that she is more involved with the secret aliens than she ever could’ve guessed. She delivers a terrific performance that delivers the heart and warmth you expect with a movie like this but also the raw emotion of someone who has lived a life full of heartbreak and trauma. O’Connor, Domingo, Firth, and Hewson are all very good around her, but I did particularly enjoy Firth as Scanlon, the CEO of Wardex. He has a demeanor around him that balances a menacing side and a softness once some layers get peeled back.
Why I found Disclosure Day to ultimately be disappointing is the story works, in theory, but the script does it no favors and, at times, actively feels like it is a detriment to the movie at large.
It feels like when Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp were working on creating the basis of the story, Spielberg rattled off all these grandiose ideas he had, and Koepp tried to incorporate them all in, even if they didn’t work. This leads to an uneven story, poor pacing for two thirds of the film, and so many interesting story lines that are introduced and end up going nowhere. Hugo working for this highly classified government agency and recruiting other employees to turn against the state to steal decades’ worth of proof of aliens on Earth? Throwaway line. Jane having a crisis of faith over people and whether or not people can still believe in God if they’re introduced to a new being? Resolved in a single phone call. The whole film being set against the eve of World War 3? Just throw in a few shots on a TV and a scene of a gas station in turmoil, and it’s fine. Like the old screenwriting rule goes, the most interesting idea in your pitch should be the basis of your story, not throwaways.
This is not even to mention the convenient alien device macguffin that allows people to hijack people’s minds only when they need to (or even when it’s relevant to the plot) or turn an entire newsroom’s power back on after all their power is cut or the ease with which Daniel, Jane, and Margaret have escaped Wardex captivity multiple times because it’s not time for the big final conflict. I know in a movie about the existence of aliens being disclosed, you need to suspend some disbelief, but there has to be some standards in place.
This is less of what the movie did wrong and more of what is wrong with me, but I just don’t think my cynical self can buy into what Spielberg is selling here. The movie really works if you believe that people can have a unifying moment and empathize with things they don’t understand. This isn’t our world he’s portraying. It’s the world he’s hoping we could one day be, but I just don’t think it ever felt like he connected with me in particular on that sentiment. There was never a good enough grasp on what life is currently like to then drop this sort of come-together moment. I suppose that’s what World War 3 was supposed to be used for, but again, completely undeveloped. In real life, there is an everyday struggle with the massive amounts of information we have to process to determine what is real and what is fake. There is an incredible amount of burnout that also comes from all the information we’re processing, whether it’s good or bad news. What this movie felt like to me is the equivalent of when someone of an older generation tells you how easy it was to buy a house in their generation. Spielberg is projecting a lot of his childhood wonder and imagination onto his audience again, and while I can appreciate the nostalgia of that in a movie from my childhood like E.T., as a broken-down adult, I just can’t relate.
I almost feel like the sentiment would’ve worked better if the movie had been released back in the 2000s. In an immediate post 9/11 world, that connectiveness was much more present than in this era of American history. Not to mention, I believe certain aspects of the story (importance of local news, trust in government officials, and the world in a state of war) would’ve felt more pressing to the story, and the lack of technological advancements in Spielberg’s storytelling wouldn’t matter as much. It is wild to say it, but I have a much harder time buying into the premise that people can view a story on the news and not question its validity instead of aliens existing on Earth for almost eighty years.
Concluding Thoughts
Disclosure Day is a good film that ultimately is a victim of mismarketing and a poor screenplay. I enjoyed the visuals Spielberg is known for, as well as the performances, led by a great Emily Blunt. I do believe that this is a movie that maybe in a few years or after a few rewatches will age better than it did on the first watch. It’s not one of my favorites from one of the best directors still working, but Disclosure Day is one that will have a devoted audience that will see the beauty in what he created.