A shadowy government organisation hunts down a whistleblower who threatens to reveal all the data about alien existence.
Great parts that are not greater than the sum.
That sentence summarises my thoughts on Disclosure Day better than anything else. Let’s start with what unquestionably works. Visually, the film is magnificent.
Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography instantly evokes the Spielberg science-fiction language we have been watching for decades. Since their first collaboration on Schindler’s List (1993), Kaminski has developed a visual vocabulary that is immediately recognisable: balanced lens flares, bleached white backlights, elegant crane movements, protracted shots, Dutch angles, and a camera that behaves like a curious observer, revealing and concealing information at the right moments. Every frame here feels meticulously designed.
The visual effects and sound departments deserve equal praise. This is one of those films whose full impact can only be appreciated in a cinema. The scale, the atmosphere, and the audiovisual immersion create an experience that stays with you long after you leave the theatre.
The acting is equally impressive. Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and the rest of the cast deliver performances that bring credibility and emotional depth to an extraordinary premise. They never lose sight of the human drama beneath the spectacle.
As someone who spent a significant part of my research life analysing Michael Kahn’s editing, I was saddened not to see him cutting a Spielberg film (he served as co-producer on it). From Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) to The Fabelmans (2022), Kahn helped shape the rhythm of modern cinema. Thankfully, his former apprentice Sarah Broshar proves more than capable of carrying that legacy forward. Her editing is precise, intelligent, and highly effective.
Which brings us to the problem. The script…
David Koepp reportedly went through forty-two drafts, yet the final result often feels like a two-and-a-half-hour chase constructed from narrative conveniences and repetitive gimmicks. The supposedly elite black-ops team repeatedly appears incompetent. Characters escape situations in ways that strain credibility. Themes surrounding religion and extraterrestrial life are explained so thoroughly that little remains for the audience to discover on their own. And by little, I mean nothing.
Ironically, the delayed reveal of the aliens is one of the film’s strengths. Spielberg has always understood that mystery is often more powerful than exposure. Unfortunately, once the film begins showing “The Greys,” it rarely stops. And unlike the tripods of War of the Worlds (2005), these images feel overly familiar.
By the time the long-awaited disclosure arrives, the audience is already exhausted. Yet despite all its flaws, I still recommend it. Because even when Steven Spielberg misses, he remains one of cinema’s greatest storytellers. His influence on Hollywood is immeasurable. And perhaps that final idea is what resonates the most. Cinema has always prepared us for possibilities before they become realities.
Who knows? One day, we may look up at the sky and discover what humanity has suspected all along.
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