Disclosure Day: Spielberg's Surprisingly Superficial Alien Outing (Blu-ray)

The Film:

The legendary Steven Spielberg is obviously no stranger to science-fiction, having touched on the genre several times in classics like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," and "Jurassic Park," so whenever he decides to make a return to it, it comes with a grand sense of anticipation at the thought of another potential work of greatness. His latest project, "Disclosure Day," does indeed mark not only a return to the genre, but once again has him tangling with aliens, perhaps raising the level of anticipation even more. With a familiar subject in hand, and a marvelous cast to back it up, can he possibly deliver on those expectations?

As the film opens, we find the planet inching closer and closer to nuclear war, but our focus is on Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor), who has stolen top secret information from his former employer, The Wardex Corporation, a government contractor that guards such secrets. He goes on the run with his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson), eventually showing her what he stole: Decades-worth of definitive proof of the existence of extra-terrestrial life. This has them being hunted by Wardex's leader, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), who desperately wants to prevent disclosure, but also helped by former Wardex employee-turned-defector Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) and his team.

Meanwhile, we also meet Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), a TV meteorologist, who, after a strange encounter with a cardinal, is able to read people's thoughts and understand languages. After speaking an alien dialect on TV, she too goes on the run from Wardex with her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell), finding herself drawn to Daniel, who also discovers that his ability in mathematics has come from elsewhere to prepare him for this eventuality. Will these two be able to evade the dangerous corporation that is relentlessly hunting them and bring the shocking truth to the world?

It certainly is an intriguing notion for Spielberg to take on aliens once again after giving us beloved sci-fi outings like "Close Encounters" & "E.T." However, the subject matter was rather different for these, with one involving events leading up to contact and the other telling a tale of a stranded alien trying to get home. With "Disclosure Day," we're presented with the premise that the existence of aliens has been covered up for decades, with a certain group believing that the public have the right to know the truth, and another doing everything they can to prevent the consequences of such disclosure.

That aspect right there, the consequences of the world suddenly learning the truth, is where Spielberg's latest could've been a rather fascinating experience. What would those consequences be? How would it alter the course of life on this planet? How would people generally react? What would the impact be on religions around the world? Some of these questions are brought up when Jane learns the truth, but surprisingly shoved aside just as quickly, for what screenwriter David Koepp's main intention appeared to be here was not to give us a film that discusses the philosophical or existential implications of disclosure, but rather a two and a half hour chase film that primarily focuses on just trying to get the truth out there.

That's not to say that it's a bad film, for it is mildly-entertaining as we watch the tense chases & getaways, and the ensemble of Oscar nominee Emily Blunt, Emmy winner Josh O'Connor, Oscar winner Colin Firth, and 2x Oscar nominee Colman Domingo is extraordinary, but it can't help but feeling like a pretty big missed opportunity. Chases are fine, but there was so much more interesting material that could've been delved into here. Even when it comes to the ending we all know it will have, it still refuses to explore those more compelling aspects that it had brought up for such a short time earlier, instead choosing to take the easy way out by giving the film a rather abrupt ending.

In the end, "Disclosure Day" might be alright for those looking for nothing more than a semi-exciting action flick, but for those hoping that Koepp & Spielberg would do a little more with the material, specifically in regards to what would happen next, it's going to be a bit of a disappointment that they didn't want to take the film in that far-more-compelling direction. Again, it's hardly a bad effort, but it's certainly not one you're going to find mentioned alongside the aforementioned Spielberg alien classics.

Video/Audio:

Encountering the Unknown: Inside Disclosure Day (54 Minutes): A featurette that has the cast & crew taking you behind the scenes of the film.

Spielberg & Williams: A Legendary Collaboration (4 Minutes): A brief featurette that celebrates the long working relationship between the director & the composer.

Special Features:

"Disclosure Day" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality, presenting a beautifully sharp picture throughout the entire 145-minute duration that perfectly highlights its multitude of visual effects & designs. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio track is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and John Williams' score in outstanding quality. Overall, Universal has done a fantastic job in both departments for the film's physical debut.

Conclusion:

Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" boasts an impressive cast, and might be satisfying enough for those looking for nothing more than a mildly-entertaining two and a half hour chase movie, but for those looking for something that delves beneath the surface of the material to tackle the intriguing questions it brings up all-too-briefly, you may find yourself more than a little disappointed at its hesitancy to go in that far-more-compelling direction.

Score: 3/5

Now available on Blu-ray.

Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.