Somewhere in the middle act of of Disclosure Day, a bit of top secret video involving the government’s relationship with extraterrestrials is shown. In it, Richard Nixon brings an unnamed celebrity into a classified area to show him the corpses of creatures who at one point crash landed on earth, only to be swiftly brought into the care(?) of the US government. This cultural Easter egg is based on an oft-repeated story from within the world of UFO/UAP conspiracies. As the story goes, famed comedian Jackie Gleason was golfing with Nixon when the two men, drunk as can be, got to talking about the secrets of their respective trades. The President, wanting to one-up his celebrity friend once and for all, called for a helicopter to fly the duo to a covert government locale, at which point he showed Gleason the extraterrestrial goods. It’s not clear how this bit of lore came to be (things like this aren’t typically well-documented in any official capacity), but when pressed for evidence, we UFO nerds will point you to Gleason’s home, which was constructed shortly after his alleged experience.
Go ahead, google it. In fact, if you google the man’s name, his “UFO house” is likely to autocomplete.
For those unwilling to look it up, I will confirm for you that the (totally awesome) home is shaped like a flying saucer, which Gleason commissioned as tribute to his second life as a paranormal hobbyist.
As a UFO nerd, seeing this deep-cut cultural reference in Disclosure Day made me, an X-Phile if there ever was one, very happy. It’s exactly the type of “real world” trivia that brings fictional films to life, and it evidences that writer David Koepp knew exactly what to do in telling a tale about humanity’s interactions with extraterrestrials. Unfortunately, this ends up being the extent of the fun conspiracy stuff that I, for one, was hoping for. Spielberg/Koepp’s latest does not feature the mystery/wonder of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, nor does it feature a central alien creature as in E.T. the Extraterrestrial. Nope, Disclosure Day is mostly a longform chase movie in execution, with all the bells and whistles one would expect from Spielberg, only in this particular instance, the chase is based around an extraterrestrial MacGuffin.
On the one hand, it’s a bit of a disappointment not to be trafficking in mystery. On the other, it’s a damn fine chase movie, with a thematics structure built on concepts communication, open-mindedness, and even faith. I wonder if this was an older script that was dusted off and brought into 2026. Meaning that this crowd-pleasing blockbuster has very little cynicism in its DNA. There’s an air of hope — of faith in the human race — that seems like a message from long before the current era of division, where human stupidity and avarice reigns supreme.
Spielberg’s latter-day films are typically growers (not show-ers), where the viewer has to learn how to watch them before engaging with them in their own right, so I suspect this will fare better on a second viewing. But even so, the first viewing was absolutely exhilarating.
It’s an ensemble piece overall, but two characters rise to the center of the narrative. First we meet Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), a former government insider who goes on the run to protect and eventually release the top secret extraterrestrial materials that the Wardex Corporation (a subset of the American government, which can be bought and sold) will kill to keep the lid on. Kellner needs to stay alive long enough for his mysterious handler/benefactor (Colman “world’s most soothing speaking voice” Domingo) to set the table for a thorough and lasting release template.
Some distance away is Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) a broadcast news meteorologist with eyes on becoming a lead anchor. Seemingly out of nowhere she begins to understand and speak multiple languages, including one not of this world, which puts her on Wardex’s hit list. And like that, our two protagonists are set on a course toward one another and away from the hands of Wardex’s big boss, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth).
It’s an terrific ride that marries the old school schmaltz of Spielberg’s earlier work to the more clinical tone of his post-2000 sci-fi period, and in a world starved of this breed of non-IP-driven adventure filmmaking, it’s a breath of fresh air. Nobody does it quite like Spielberg, and his whole bag of tricks is on display: masterful focus-pulling, blocking so ornate that it is impossible to conceive let alone execute, and long takes that only register as such because of the energy they generate rather than the director announcing his presence outright. It’s a mostly breathless experience which, despite a few leaps in behavioral logic, is too much fun to really nitpick. I went in expecting something a little less blockbustery, but what I received was a reminder of what a blockbuster can be — of what they once were. The inventor of the form has gifted us with proof that he’s just as skilled and locked-in as ever, even in his golden years. I’m reminded of when Sam Raimi emerged from franchise bondage with Drag Me to Hell, reminding us to put some goddamn respect on his name.
While O’Connor’s earnest charm makes it seem as if he were designed in a lab to one day work with Spielberg, it’s Blunt who gives the performance of the film. She sells the hard-earned transition from a career-forward woman seeking a broadcastable identity, to a hopeful humanist whose importance is massive on a global scale while miniscule on a universal one. Her acceptance of this Tree of Life duality (everything matters which is why nothing matters which is why everything matters) is the type of ham-fisted thematic material that is lacking from our cinematic adventures as of late. So much so that one may be inclined to roll their eyes a bit at this plea for open-mindedness and communication — I sure was.
But it ultimately won me over.
There’s some additional material involving faith that I’m not quite sure I know what to do with yet, which, like my other small grievances, may open up upon repeat viewings. With this being such a good time at the movies, I’m happy to see give it at least one or two more rounds, even if just to be once again gobsmacked by the best car/train action set piece this side of Dominic Toretto.
And that final line? Perfection.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by David Koepp, based on a story by Steven Spielberg
Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson
Rated PG-13, 145 minutes
