JEANNE’S REVIEW

 

There has never been any doubt that Steven Spielberg is a master at storytelling. DISCLOSURE DAY is his latest, greatest effort --- and this time it’s a doozy. Almost 50 years after his sci-fi wonder CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, Spielberg, who wrote the story and directs, offers his audience a thriller to act as a bookend to that masterpiece.

 

Working from a screenplay by frequent collaborator David Koepp, Spielberg addresses his fascination with “the great unknowns of the cosmos” and mysteries surrounding human existence. DISCLOSURE DAY also explores the cost to us as humans when answers to questions regarding these issues are kept secret. He and Koepp have created an action-packed narrative that mesmerizes the audience while keeping them fully entertained.

 

Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is the weather girl at a local Kansas City station. One morning while on air she begins making strange noises and eventually faints. Meanwhile, Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) is on the run from the powers that be at WARDEX with his girlfriend Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson).

 

WARDEX is a secret government agency within the military complex led by the formidable Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). He is tasked with keeping secret the truth about UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).

 

Daniel was a cybersecurity expert for WARDEX, but has decided the world needs to know the truth. So he’s on the run with all the evidence guarded by WARDEX dating back to the Roswell alien visitation in 1947. He and Jane are being aided by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), once an employee at WARDEX, who wants to bring Margaret and Daniel together because the two of them --- who do not know each other --- share a secret of their own.

 

Per usual, Spielberg has crafted a wildly exciting adventure that includes a very imaginative tech gadget called “the device”. It can be used as a mind-control weapon or in self defense, but it is definitely not a toy. According to some UFO lore, pieces of tech such as this were engineered by humans from crashed UAP crafts, and of course, Spielberg leans into this speculation with “the device”.

 

DISCLOSURE DAY has its share of nail-biting car chases, especially the train collision scene, something Spielberg  has wanted to include in one of his films since DUEL (1971), his first studio feature. And it does not disappoint. He also uses DISCLOSURE DAY to explore the ongoing debates over culture, religion, science, technology and ---most importantly --- human nature.

 

Jane, who was a former postulate in a convent, has a very interesting conversation with her Mother Superior, Sister Maura, beautifully played by Elizabeth Marvel. Jane asks Sr. Maura if she believes in aliens and her response is profound, which I won’t spoil by writing it here. It’s so refreshing that Spielberg doesn’t shy away from these questions.

 

Blunt and O’Connor have both been on a hot streak lately --- and they are both very accomplished actors. They are excellent choices to play Margaret and Daniel and exude the perfect chemistry as escapees running, literally, for their lives. I was less impressed by Hewson’s performance and I didn’t buy the relationship between Jane and Daniel. Small complaint, but necessary.

 

Firth is superb, as always, playing the “villain” with aplomb. Sporting a beard, he looks every bit the man in charge of a covert agency who reports to no one. Domingo is equally convincing as the rogue WARDEX agent now fixated on disclosing the entire truth to the world. Both of these men are incredible at their craft.

 

John Williams, who just turned 94, is on hand for his 30th film collaboration as composer with Spielberg. And it’s quite obvious it’s Williams who wrote the music. On his 21st collaboration with Spielberg is cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, whose work is at such a high level it speaks for itself.

 

DISCLOSURE DAY is an electrifying movie-going experience that only Steven Spielberg can deliver. It must be seen on the big screen, preferably in IMAX.

 

                          Opens June 12th

 

Opinion:  Strong See It Now!

 

 

 

DAVID’S REVIEW

 

Steven Spielberg is back! DISCLOSURE DAY harkens to the best films of his illustrious career. Cinema enthusiasts will likely compare this movie to others, especially CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. As with that movie, Spielberg began this story from the end and worked his way to the beginning to “earn the ending” as he put it. Long-time collaborator David Koepp wrote the screenplay and terms this a sci-fi thriller.

 

DISCLOSURE DAY is a must see on IMAX, or at least a large theater screen. The performances by the veteran cast are all extraordinary, beginning with Emily Blunt as Margaret Fairchild and Josh O’Connor as Dr. Daniel Kellner. They are both exceptional.

 

Colin Firth plays Noah Scanlon, one of the actor’s few villain roles, and Colman Domingo is Hugo Wakefield, an ally of Margaret and Daniel as they seek to make public the government suppression of extraterrestrial proof. Eve Hewson rounds out the main cast as Jane Blankenship, Daniel’s love interest.

 

The movie is relatively long at nearly two and a half hours, but as usual with a Spielberg film, you will be riveted in your seat and the time flies. It also turns out to be quite an emotional movie-going experience. How can it not be with music by five-time Oscar winner John Williams?

 

If anyone has doubts about life in our universe besides eight billion Earthlings, DISCLOSURE DAY may quell that skepticism. Spielberg’s latest effort suggests that, indeed, there is life on other planets.

 

                             Opens June 12th

 

Opinion: Strong See It Now!