Visually amazing, no depth.
Steven Spielberg is easily one of the most (if not the most) recognizable names in Hollywood history. Almost anyone can name one of his movies, and I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that for at least two generations everyone can say one of his movies that heavily affected their lives. For me, that’s Jaws. When I was a boy and watched that for the first time, it scared me so badly I didn’t want to take a bath. I was terrified the shark would bust through the bathtub and a Quint-like fight-for-my-life would ensue. Jurassic Park was released when I was in second grade, when I learned about dinosaurs, so Park felt like it was my personal film. I’ve always loved that movie and own it on multiple physical media formats because … Well, that’s love.
I dare say that Spielberg has a near perfect career. Having only a few flops to his name in over 50 years is out of this world. He also revolutionized the industry in 1975 with Jaws, making him not only a genius filmmaker, but he, almost alone, completely changed when movies were released. Over the decades his films have heavily showcased his interest in extraterrestrial life. Some serious, others family friendly, but all were amazing. At the age of 79, 35 feature films directed, five of which are about aliens, Spielberg doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Here comes Disclosure Day. Which, as one would think based on the title, would be all about the disclosure of alien life forms and the effect on humanity.
Emily Blunt as Margaret Fairchild
Day begins with a punch to the gut. We meet a bunch of people, don’t know what’s going on, but I’m invested. I’ve been vocal about loving movies (and books) that begin in the middle of an action and the audience needs to figure out what’s going on. Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor, Wake Up Dead Man) is a former hacker turned cyber security expert for Wardex (Watch, Recon, Develop, EXtract), a behind-the-curtain company tasked with suppressing alien knowledge to the public. After seeing countless videos of aliens, Kellner decides to expose everything. Not so fast, Dr. K, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth, The King’s Speech), head of Wardex, isn’t having it. They got Kellner’s girlfriend, Jane (Eve Hewson, Jay Kelly) and are ready to swap data for the girl. But, that wouldn’t be a very good opening, so Kellner sykes his way out of the trade off and he and Jane go on the lam, learning more about Jane’s nunhood previous life and search for a way to disclose the truth to the world.
Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada) is the local weather girl for Kansas City television. She wakes up one day and can speak fluent languages she’s only heard in movies. While delivering the weather, she starts speaking in a strange clicking tone that immediately goes viral. This language she was speaking wasn’t her having a stroke, it was alien and only Dr. K can understand it. Because … You know, he speaks alien too. Duh. But they must meet up, because they both have a connection that cannot be explained. It’s a race across the lands for Fairchild and Dr. K to meet, expose and let the world know the truth. Wardex will stop at nothing to get the files back. Former Wardex employee Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo, who has been quietly having the best decade for an actor) is reconstructing Fairchild’s childhood home to help unlock suppressed alien memories. I mean, yeah, if you have a chance to put Domingo in your movie, just do it.
Buckle up: It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.
Day has some of the most impressive camera work I’ve seen in recent years. Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (his cinematographer for 33 years, starting on Schindler’s List) craft beautiful oners (one long continuous take, without cuts) that not just put you in the moment, but make you forget to breathe. Just from the start, when we are introduced to Fairchild and “something just isn’t right” with her, the look and feel not just showcase how hard she works at the station, but also shows that everyone is weirded out. The camera tags along like an assistant eager with a coffee, but fearful to interrupt. As an audience, we don’t want to look away, but we need to blink. Kellner being pursued by Wardex shows off a car chase as destructive as a Fast and Furious flick, but with the coolness of The Seven-Ups.
Colin Firth as Noah Scanlon
The problem with Day is that there is no care or depth in the characters. Yeah, we get who everyone is, but why should I care about them? They hold all the rich, bold info that will rip humanity apart and change how the world views everything but are presented as flat saucer. Blunt’s Fairchild is impressive with the languages, but looks bored to death when running for her life. In the nearly two and half hour runtime, I felt like I knew nothing of the characters. Apparently Scanlon and Wakefield were buddies, but was it all a front? Wouldn’t Wardex have a backup plan other than “Ah, damn. The hacker got us”? No no no, send out the unhinged guy. Is Scanlon a villain? He comes off as a man who is aggressively doing his job, but not a complete bad guy. How are we to root for Kellner when he was hacking, served time, stole videos and NOW has a conscience? If so, show me rather than telling. Jane’s character is the worst developed and would be the one to push the most: She’s a former nun whose faith is being tested by the idea that aliens exist. Her whole world, as well as billions of people globally, is about to be obliterated. Life as she knew it, dedicated her life, history books are all about to explode with facts and it’s handled like a child dropping their old toy.
“Yeah … I’m totally scared for my life.” A very bored Blunt with Josh O’Connor as Dr. Daniel Kellner
A big issue is that the movie takes place in 2026. This might be showing that Spielberg is losing touch, but the general public doesn’t watch broadcast news anymore. I really mean that. With trust in mainstream media being at an all time low, the vast majority of America wouldn’t care about a Kansas City weather girl talking in tongues on air or they would think it’s artificial intelligence. Either way, the point in the film: A race to put the alien footage live on air, falls apart faster than you can say “Welcome to Earth.” I can’t compare myself to the genius of Spielberg, but a live stream to phones or YouTube video dump would be more compelling.
Maybe I expected more from such an icon of icons. Had this movie been made by a filmmaker of a lesser resume, I would say this is a solid attempt and I would be interested in seeing their next movie. But this is Spielberg. To say that Day is a bad movie would be an insult to the cinematography and back breaking work that went into making it. Visually, it’s a stunning film. You feel the racing pulse of the characters’ investment, but you can’t tell why they are invested. My review may be on the negative side, but rest assured: I come in peace.
Disclosure Day is now playing in theaters
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by David Koepp and Steven Spielberg
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth
Genre: Sci-fi and Action
Runtime: 145 mins
Classic American Movies 
Leave a comment