The summer blockbusters are rolling in! Steven Spielberg’s newest alien sci-fi, thriller, “Disclosure Day,” has arrived. And after bringing us legendary extraterrestrial stories like “E.T.” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, I’m sad to say this highly anticipated alien mystery lacks the Spielberg magic we’ve come to love from his previous theatrical treasures.
“Disclosure Day” asks the question, what if you found out we are not alone and someone was able to show you undeniable evidence of alien life. Would that scare you? It’s an interesting question and could be an interesting movie if the script and the characters were not all over the place. In the film, Dr. Daniel Kellner is on the run from his underground government boss; he carries a great deal of proof that aliens are among us and feels that entire world should finally know the truth. Luckily for him, a Kansas weather girl, who shockingly is linked to the aliens, can help Kellner get the message out.
There are several issues with this film. It appears; there wasn’t a clear intention of which direction they wanted to go. The tone bounces around from a serious drama to a hokey and unconvincing kids’ movie. There are numerous plot holes in the convoluted storylines, and the underdeveloped characters make any “emotional” or climatic scenes feel unearned. The saving grace of “Disclosure Day” and the real reason to watch, is Emily Blunt’s award-worthy performance as Margaret Fairchild. She brings energy and personality, as well as humor to the very long, two and half hour, underwhelming sci-fi. Though the rest of the all-star cast, including Josh O’ Connor, Colin Firth, and Coleman Domingo do a fine job, their surface-level roles are not as memorable.
There is thrilling action that entertains, and the comedic relief makes the film worth a trip to the box office but set your expectations low. It does pain me to speak negatively about this movie, especially because of Blunt’s performance, but Spielberg can and has done much better than this. The intent to reflect on humanity and have empathy for the known is admirable and greatly appreciated, but the efforts made to bring that message to the screen fell flat and rings hallow.
Rating: C-