Poster for Disclosure Day (2026)
Steven Spielberg made his bones with films about extraterrestrials. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) put him on the moviegoer's map even more than Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws, his two other blockbusters of the same vintage, becoming the signature non-Star Wars sci-fi flicks of the last quarter of the 20th century.
Although he would explore the dystopic side of alien visitation in War of the Worlds (2005) and of technology in general via A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Ready Player One, his '70s/'80s depiction of the benign, even benevolent, alien transcended and obscured his later efforts.
And, so, at 79, he delivers Disclosure Day, a film that might be called a valedictory message on extraterrestrials. It isn't much of a spoiler to say that he has returned to his earlier mindset.
The film delivers on action, although it is by no means an action film. It is, actually, more of a meditation on communication and how we use our ability to speak and, more importantly, to listen.
A strong cast—Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Josh O'Connor, Eve Hewson—supports Emily Blunt, whom the camera has never loved more or better. Her performance swings from pensive to frenzied to comic to heroic without a seam. I don't think I've seen a better showing from her, and she deserves whatever plaudits and recognition come her way as a result.
Ironically, perhaps, using aliens as the messengers, Disclosure Day is Steven Spielberg's humanist thesis, one that I can't believe wasn't spurred by the times in which we live. His envoi is the final word of the film. Recommended.
