Steven Speilberg is one of the greatest directors of all time in most people’s view. He has been part of some all-time classic movies, like E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind but has also some that were not considered on that level like AI: Artificial Intelligence and War of the Worlds. I concentrated on the sci-fi aspect of his career because he has gone back to that well again with Disclosure Day.
Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connnor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell star in this tale about Margaret Fairchild (Blunt), a meteorologist on a local television station in Kansas City and Dr. Daniel Kellner (O’Connor), a cybersecurity expert on the run along with other employees from a corporation named Wardex after “the truth” has been discovered and held from the public for decades. Noah Scanlon (Firth), the head of Wardex, wants the information kept secret and as Fairchild and Kellner are drawn together under the guidance of Milo (Domingo), the mysteries of the information start to unravel.
The best way to describe this film is that it is very Spielberg, with that slick style and visuals that have the highest level of detail. From sets looking to be in the middle of nowhere to downtown Kansas City and to the high-tech offices and labs, all the different scenery worked. He is able to adjust the lighting and visual tones depending on the mood and location really well. When it comes to the acting, Firth plays the perfect hunter who only cares about completing the mission he has been on his entire career while Blunt also does well as things happen to her that she has no control over while taking some comedic moments of it during all of what would freak most people out. I also want to shout out Wyatt Russell who plays Margaret’s boyfriend, Jackson, who really made me feel for his character as he is also trying to make sense of everything that is going on.
The basic story itself is good, but there is just too much of it. At almost two and half hours long, there are so many extra plot points that were actually handled better in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I saw where he was trying to get to, but it just doesn’t get there. As a film overall, I did like it, but don’t go rushing to see it because it is Spielberg and you might be another classic, because it will not ever be put on his best of lists of films like Shindler’s List, so I will recommend Disclosure Day on a hone streaming service.