Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O' Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Elizabeth Marvel, Hettienne Park, Tommy Matinez, Gabby Beans, Jeremy Shamos, Brandon Wilson Courtney Grace
Running Time: 145 min.
Rating: PG-13
A sense of excitement surrounded the news that Steven Spielberg's sci-fi thriller Disclosure Day would find the legendary director returning to the genre where he experienced some of his greatest success. And while the filmmaker who helmed so many cultural touchstones has grown older and more experienced, he's continued to show flashes of greatness in adapting to the times. Still, no one can be blamed for entering this with lowered expectations, as its title and trailers suggested something closer to a reboot of M. Night Shayamalan's Signs, complete with matching crop circles.
Understandably choosier about the projects he takes on, we should know by now not to underestimate Spielberg, who wouldn't put his weight behind a premise done to death by Hollywood unless it's something's special. And David Koepp's script is, resulting in an intelligent, visually gripping spectacle far superior to what its advertising implied. Frenetically paced and spectacularly shot, this doesn't let up for a minute, trusting viewers to keep up as it builds to an emotional, thought provoking climax.
With countries hovering on the brink of World War III, U.S. cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O' Connor) has stolen classified information from his employer, the government contracted Wardex Corporation. Now in possession of a mysterious extraterrestrial artifact and a hard drive containing proof of alien life dating back to Roswell, he's a hunted man. Evading the company's CEO Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), he flees with girlfriend Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson) while maintaining communication with disillusioned Wardex co-worker Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo). Having assembled his secret team at an undisclosed location, Hugo's already set in motion a plan to reveal the truth to the world.
Meanwhile in Kansas City, local meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) alarms musician boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell) with her increasingly odd, erratic behavior. Speaking in foreign languages she shouldn't know and suddenly displaying psychic abilities, things only get stranger when she delivers an incomprehensible weather report on KCXE's newscast that quickly goes viral. Now under siege from Wardex agents who recognize her extraterrestrial language, she hits the road to find Daniel, with whom she shares an inexplicable bond. Together they'll try to unlock their repressed memories and expose this cover up to the world, unless Scanlon gets to them first.
The story's well underway by its opening scene, posing more questions than answers when Daniel's seemingly held hostage by Wardex agents. He's clearly in possession of something Scanlon wants and the fact these characters are already way ahead of us makes for an exciting dynamic that quickly piques our interest. And though Daniel and Jane each know considerably less about each other than they originally assumed, he still holds most of the secrets, remaining committed to seeing this through with Hugo's help.
Spielberg's biggest surprise is that the whole film feels like two extended, action packed road trips with protagonists barely given enough time to process the enormity of what's happening. Like Daniel, Blunt's Margaret is a target, but must also grapple with psychic powers she doesn't appear to fully comprehend, at least not yet. While Hugo knows it's imperative she and Daniel unite in publicly disclosing the contents of the Archive, the consequences and specifics come later. Just not before some awe inspiring chase scenes set at a barn house and on a speeding train.
That Firth's Scanlon isn't your typical one dimensional villain can be credited to both Koepp's screenplay and the actor's turn as a man broken enough to convince himself he's right. Even if Scanlon brings up valid points about the public's potential response to this info, the root of his concern stems from a monetary desire to maintain power and control following a deeply personal loss. As a former nun, Jane's worries are largely rooted in moral and religious fears, making for an intriguing clash when Scanlon uses the extraterrestrial artifact to telepathically infiltrate her consciousness. But this device isn't just a clever narrative tool, as it causes nearly as much physical and emotional distress to its user as their intended target.
O' Connor is engagingly effective as this whistleblower sure in his beliefs, if a little fuzzy on how he'll pull it all off. Blunt's given a lot more to juggle as Margaret, a TV personality whose newfound abilities turn her world upside down, affecting everyone she encounters. The whole performance plays like an outer body experience as the actress simultaneously conveys the fear and confusion accompanying such a bizarre phenomenon. But her work really kicks into high gear once Margaret gets a handle on her powers and embraces what they'll eventually come to mean in a larger sense.
Domingo's part is pivotal, with Hugo's knowledge carrying a certain air of mystery as we speculate why he's guiding Daniel from what looks like the confines of a giant stage set. Ultimately though, his goal is to facilitate Daniel and Margaret's connection, which receded into their subconsciousness long ago. This retrieval process leads to the film's most divisive section, featuring childhood flashbacks shot by cinematographer Janusz Kamiński in a style that visually resembles a Thomas Kincaid painting.
A lack of full disclosure in a film titled Disclosure Day would be the ultimate bait and switch, and while we do know where that'll occur, it's all about the "how," especially when the struggle to expose the truth becomes a race against time. The final act is surprisingly powerful, not only due to the unearthed footage that raises the film's believability quotient or even John Williams' quietly stirring score, but one unforgettable performance. It comes from relatively unknown actress and former real life TV reporter Courtney Grace, who's tasked with the herculean feat of delivering this live breaking news. With astonishingly authentic facial reactions and delivery, her unnamed NBC anchorwoman becomes the world's eyes and ears, lifting the conclusion to a place we didn't think it could possibly reach.
Easily one of Spielberg's better recent efforts, this is a worthy entry in his rich sci-fi catalogue, earning thematic comparisons to Minority Report, and more directly, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After an opening that might have audiences scratching their heads, the ideas gradually grow as we're taken on a wild ride with two intrinsically linked characters who spend the majority of the picture on separate but interwoven quests.
Spielberg proves less interested in the existence of extraterrestrial life than what our collective reaction says about us as a species. The idea we're not alone definitely isn't new, but this posits a gripping dramatization of what happens when conspiracy meets reality. Rather than focusing on the aliens and their intentions, he takes a riskier, less traveled route by questioning whether we'd ever have enough empathy, faith and understanding to accept them.
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