‘Disclosure Day’ Bears Spielberg’s Stamp, but Not His Greatness

For over 50 years, Steven Spielberg has made movies that don’t feel personal, so much as appear to be personalized for a large audience. From “Jaws” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” through “Jurassic Park” and “Catch Me if You Can,” to his more recent remake of “West Side Story,” the renowned director has consistently constructed his films to achieve maximum impact within a darkened theater where dozens of strangers stare at a screen and expect to be wowed.While there are exceptions to his blockbuster sensibilities, most recently 2022’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans,” the general rule when it comes to a “Spielberg picture” is that it will consist of awe-inspiring imagery, tension-building sequences, and sentimental moments — elements designed to be shared to maximum effect by viewers in a communal experience.“Disclosure Day,” the filmmaker’s latest, intermittently entertaining blockbuster fits this mold so well that it often plays like a highlight reel of his greatest hits. With its story about alien contact, the film mirrors “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “E.T.” Through its on-the-run plot dynamics, it resembles “Minority Report,” the “Indiana Jones” franchise, and others. With the occasional sappy scene and its blatant appeal for camaraderie, the feature matches the 79-year-old’s overall filmic philosophy of openness, positivity, and emotional truth as opposed to cynicism and irony. Interestingly, this last element — the director’s famous sentimentality — becomes a pointed liberal political statement in the new movie as its heroes fight governmental secrecy and cruelty while evading shadowy, pseudo-law enforcement forces. There’s even a scene in which a sage character played by Colman Domingo is accused of being a “bleeding heart” by the more nefarious figure played by Colin Firth. Needless to say, there’s no doubt where Mr. Spielberg’s allegiances lie.The film begins in media res as Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) hands over several flash drives of stolen information regarding extraterrestrials, which he sought to disseminate, to Noah Scanlon (Mr. Firth) and his enforcers. Scanlon is the head of Wardex, a shady company contracted with the federal government to develop technology derived from aliens, hiding the fact that it does so. One of the advancements gleaned from these “close encounters” has been the ability to enter into the mind of anyone via the use of a strange small device, of which there are three. The full power and capability of these devices is not yet understood, though, and wielding it like a gun or trigger device, Daniel uses one of them to get away with his girlfriend.Said girlfriend is Jane (Eve Hewson), a former aspiring nun. When Daniel shows her proof of alien contact, she wonders whether the world can handle the revelation and asks other questions over the course of the film, such as “Does God love only us?” Though Ms. Hewson has a striking presence, one feels like her character was created mainly so Mr. Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp could introduce issues of faith and theology. Mr. O’Connor’s character doesn’t fare any better as Daniel is also barely fleshed out, though the actor does his best to approximate a certain American earnestness and determination despite his near total lack of charm.It’s not until Emily Blunt’s Margaret appears that the film furnishes a truly compelling protagonist. A meteorologist for a Kansas City TV station, Margaret is a whirlwind of humor, ambition, and nervous energy when we first meet her. But strange things are afoot, and soon she’s somehow able to spout Russian and read people’s innermost thoughts. After unconsciously clicking her tongue in a strange language on live television, she’s contacted by Hugo — played by Mr. Domingo — a former employee of Wardex who is working with Daniel on a big reveal of the truth about extraterrestrials. Her public display of weirdness also attracts the attention of Scanlon, and soon she, too, is pursued by his henchmen.While periodically pausing to download us on the characters’ backstories and to present information that clarifies the sci-fi setting, though a lot of the “science” still doesn’t make sense, the primary storytelling mode is action sequences or intimate setpieces involving different moving parts and asides. To that end, we get a frantic car chase, a corker of a sequence involving a barreling train, the TV studio segment, and more. Throughout, the camerawork by Janus Kamiński moves with dexterity, while the lighting and framing sustain a dramatic intensity and complexity. Some have said that since Mr. Spielberg started working with Mr. Kamiński, beginning in 1993 with “Schindler’s List,” the director’s mise-en-scène has grown more sophisticated; their latest collaboration supports this theory.‘Disclosure Day.’ Universal Pictures and Amblin EntertainmentThe parallel fugitive plotlines collide when Margaret and Daniel meet each other on a military base, and this is where the film’s balance really starts to wobble. Margaret’s particular gift of emotional clairvoyance literally and figuratively disarms her pursuers, and, when not laughable, comes off like short, infantilizing therapy sessions. This is compounded by a major setpiece in the third act evoking Hansel and Gretel and featuring CGI animals but lacking any sort of surprise, fear, or ambiguity, even if it does involve childhood and the idea of home, themes often found in Mr. Spielberg’s work. Ultimately “Disclosure Day” can be read as a fable of the “evolution of empathy,” a phrase the sketchily defined Hugo states at one point. The director’s contrast of honesty and compassion against dark forces and apocalyptic times, including what we’re told is an imminent war between America and Russia, is certainly commendable, yet he tips the scales too heavily on the side of blandness and idealism, leading not only to narrative incoherence but inconsequence.Still, only the most hard-hearted will fail to be stirred by the elaborate, “we’re all in this together” finale. While far from perfect, the picture will stimulate discussion, with Mr. Spielberg once again delivering an event movie, both worth going to the theater for and worthy of his name.

‘Disclosure Day’ Bears Spielberg’s Stamp, but Not His Greatness

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