Starting a two-and-a-half-hour movie about aliens from the POV of a wrestler getting thrown around in the ring might seem random. But with Steven Spielberg, we know better. To alien enthusiasts, elite government officials have been throwing around the general public for decades by obfuscating truths regarding extraterrestrial life. That’s what some people believe — Spielberg included. Another way to see the opening sequence of his latest film, Disclosure Day, is as a precursor for what’s about to unfold, as Spielberg throws us back and forth between characters, settings, and plot points. Fortunately, after hours of intense thrills, he eventually gently sets us back down for the moments that matter most: aliens.
Spielberg employs a pattern of immerse-and-disrupt to dizzying effect. First, we meet a cybersecurity expert, Daniel (Josh O’Connor), in media res, as he fights off goons sent by an ominous figure, Scanlon (Colin Firth). Immediately immersed in this conflict, the film then abruptly shifts to Kansas City, Missouri, where we meet your typical TV meteorologist, Margaret (Emily Blunt). After a quotidian morning of breakfast with her boyfriend before the 7 AM news, the routine is disrupted once again when Margaret is suddenly able to fluently speak different languages and tap into people’s inner lives.
Disclosure Day destabilizes the audience through kinetic camerawork and cagey editing. With sweeping dolly motions and extreme, canted angles, we get the sense that this world is teetering on the edge of something. The main plot is regularly accompanied by hints of World War III breaking out in the background. Alongside the oscillation between Daniel and Margaret, a third main player is introduced: Hugo (Colman Domingo). Everything we see of Hugo is always the same mysterious scenario. He’s framed in close-up with something mysterious being built behind him. These editing choices keep the viewer at a distance, similar to the general public in the film, who haven’t been given the full truth about what’s going on.
Many of the film’s tactics are ones we’ve seen Spielberg use before. Most notably, Close Encounters of the Third Kind jumps between settings and characters until everything converges at the climax. Similarly, Spielberg reaches a satisfying, convergent apex in Disclosure Day, but does so with a careful gentleness, as if holding our hand, hoping that this will bring the world together. At its core, not only is Disclosure Day beaming with hope, it’s an urgent plea for human empathy.
The hopefulness is refreshing compared to, say, Spielberg’s last sci-fi effort, War of the Worlds (2005). However, it can wax sentimental at times. In warmly lit shots of childhood bedrooms or preachy monologues about faith, Spielberg isn’t afraid of tapping into pathos to get his points across. Again, this is not unfamiliar territory for the filmmaker — this is the guy who made a generation fall in love with a three-foot alien. What Disclosure Day gets mostly right is the balance between these sweeter moments and those high-octane thrills his work is equally known for, like in Duel (1971), Jaws (1975), and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
Ultimately, Disclosure Day could not have been directed by anyone else. It’s Spielberg through and through. You can trace the influence of his illustrious filmography from the movie’s broad themes to specific scenes and props. The Spielbergisms are rampant, unapologetic, and, frankly, a lot of fun. Fans of the filmmaker will likely be delighted with Disclosure Day. It’s a summer blockbuster with action, empathy, and, of course, aliens. But you’ll just have to see it to believe.
Review Courtesy of Kasey Dunifer
Feature Image Credit to Universal Pictures