Steven Spielberg‘s Disclosure Day is now streaming, and that’s about the only way I will see this movie. I opted not to see it in theaters because I knew it is nothing like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What it offers is a textbook case of downsizing the UAP phenomenon rather than going big. That’s because I knew there would be no grand spectacle, no family drama, and no genuine hunt for the truth. Worse still, for a story built around disclosure, it never feels anchored to the evidence that has kept the subject alive for decades.
Or rather, there would be no return of the little grey visitors and the people they abducted to discover strange new worlds and other wonders. Instead, the message boils down to: “We’re here, we’ve been here for a while, we’re observing you, and we’re deciding whether humanity is ready for space.”
In the film, cyber analyst Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) and local meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) have proof that extraterrestrial life exists. In true The X-Files fashion, Noah (Colin Firth) fills the role of the Cigarette Smoking Man and is out to stop them. As the two scientists work to hack into a broadcast network in order to reveal the truth, what they discover along the way are multiple agencies operating behind the scenes. There is a contingent willing to help and others determined to silence leaks. The result is more cat-and-mouse conspiracy thriller than any other type of film.
Had the film begun in medias res, in a manner similar to the 1987 Max Headroom signal hijacking where all the cards are laid out, the events that followed could still have remained faithful to Spielberg and David Koepp’s overall story. It also could have tapped into that era’s paranoia and media frenzy, creating a sustained examination of reported alien phenomena which range from historic sightings to modern encounters with little green men.
What makes this approach respectable is its mention of incidents like the 1994 Ariel School encounter and its examination of the craft seen in the famous Tic Tac videos. However, there is one fundamental problem. What we’re shown aren’t actual records or genuine imagery. They are, amusingly enough, recreations produced specifically for this movie.
Without any real-world grounding, however, the film misses what made this filmmaker’s first UFO story so memorable. Even his remake of War of the Worlds is recalled for all the wrong reasons. It became a Tom Cruise movie because he’s well known for taking a strong hand in his productions. At least with the original, everybody can play the famous five notes to say hello, but this film is likely to be forgotten, perhaps even buried. That’s no way to cement Spielberg’s legacy or acknowledge his long-standing fascination with E.T.s. No one will be phoning home to rave about this film.
3 Stars Out of 5
Disclosure Day Trailer
