It comes with no joy, that I have come out of Disclosure Day more confused and sad than happy and satisfied. Sometimes movies have a way of causing us such confusion that the discussion of it afterwards becomes the best thing about it. Such is the case for what may go down as the most disappointing movie of the year, Disclosure Day. Now, I must admit that my personal favorite genre is not science fiction. I am by no means a die hard sci-fi fan, and I am by no means an expert on said genre. So, maybe that is why the most successful film director of all time, Steven Spielberg’s newest film, Disclosure Day, just did not really wow me. There were many interesting concepts in the movie. Unfortunately, in my eyes, it just felt like the ideas never came together to say something truly meaningful.
Let’s start at the beginning. The movie begins with a wrestling match going on that the lead, played by Josh O’Connor, attends. The match has nothing to do with the movie and instead of the film really introducing us to this world involving extraterrestrials, we are just thrown right in. Much like O’Connors introduction, Emily Blunt’s character is just sort of thrown right into the mix, as well. We meet her and find out she’s a meteorologist and she sees a cardinal that triggers a psychic reaction within her where she knows all these languages she never knew before and can even read people’s thoughts. Or, at least, knows what is going on in their lives. I was a fan of the concepts of the movie. It seems likely that people would lose their minds if they ever found out that aliens exist. And we would be as equally hurt as we are shocked if aliens were to have not only been revealed as being on our planet, but if they were experimented on by us, we would be wondering why such inhumane acts were being committed.
A common critique of many filmmakers on society is how humans tend to judge things we do not understand. That, and the government is evil. So this level of experimentation on extraterrestrials is nothing new. It was discomforting to watch. But, it does not allow the audience to sit with it for very long. Being uncomfortable is hardly a good thing. But going to the movies means feeling things is good for us. Movies have a way of showing us sides of ourselves we might have never tapped into. And that is where my disappointment in this film lies. It made me feel little more than confusion and disappointment in its untapped potential.
Just like the title suggests, Disclosure Day is all about getting the word out to the public that we are not alone in the universe. Though, perhaps we were given a peak behind the curtain too quickly. For me personally, understanding what was going on with the aliens took a lot of suspense away. If presented in a different manner, this movie would have been more impactful. But showing the aliens an hour through and then not really explaining their powers or where they come from, just feels like half measures were taken. Though this is science fiction, it feels like some elements are a bit supernatural. Too much is going on at once. Too many ideas are being thrown out there in a movie where less would have been more.
The best thing about the film is easily Emily Blunt’s performance. There’s a scene in the latter half of the movie where she’s having a panic attack. Sure, for the most part, she was already the best written character. But, pair that with a scene where we feel empathy for her, and you’ve got something worth watching. Emily’s acting kept me invested in the movie. Unfortunately, the pay off just was not what I had hoped for. It ultimately felt like something Spielberg made to simply get an idea out there, though he is not really saying anything. Perhaps the movie should have been rewritten. Because the final act does not show much as to what this all means for everyone in this world. Open endings can be frustrating like that.
Perhaps another positive of the film was its score. And it was given to us by none other than John Williams. No shocker there that it was good. Composers, unlike directors, always deliver. That might sound like shade in Spielberg’s direction, but it is more just admitting that it is very difficult to always make films that everyone can come together and recognize as being memorable.
This does not ruin the career of Spielberg. It hardly even is a strike against him. But when you make something to start conversations without really saying much, it ultimately leaves a viewer with a dry taste in their mouths afterwards.
Spielberg has made some of the greatest, most iconic, and culturally relevant films of all time. Disclosure Day just is not one of them. While I was not jumping for joy to see this movie, I expected to walk out feeling satisfied. This is easily going to go down as one of the most disappointing movies of the year. While we all have different opinions, I am left to wonder what exactly other critics were thinking when they gave this film raving reviews. What is so groundbreaking about it? What did I not understand? That part always disappoints me. Feeling like you missed out on the part that everyone else picked up on.
Do not get me wrong, this is not a terrible movie. It is just very disappointing and does not take the time to expand on things even though some more exposition for things they introduced was necessary.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
It’s not horrible. It just is not very memorable and leaves way too much on the table. It could have been bolder. It could have been explained better. And, certainly, it could have been much more exciting. Disclosure Day has big aspirations while not really doing much to keep the audience invested. It is a movie to spark a conversation that many of us have already been having for decades already. I wonder if I’ll remember much about this movie by the end of the year outside of the fact that it left me confused and disappointed. Like a bad breakup. We have all been there. We learn. We move on. This is no knock on anyone involved. The cast and crew are all still of Hollywood’s best. They just could not gel. It happens.
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