Disclosure Day (dir. Steven Spielberg)
By: Adam Freed
No director has sparked the imaginations of theater goers quite like Steven Spielberg. For nearly half a century the gifted auteur has prompted audiences to gaze upon the sea, the stars, and within for meaning and purpose in the tangled amalgam of life. With no less than ten films to his name that have defined or reimagined their various genres, the bar of expectation on Spielberg’s work couldn’t be higher. With his latest science fiction epic, Disclosure Day, the Jaws (1975), E.T. (1982) and Schindler’s List (1993) director has accomplished the unthinkable, in crafting a powerful journey that explores both the possibility of what lies beyond Earth’s solar system, and what influence those extraterrestrial beings may have already had on mankind.
It is rare that an audience will enter a movie with such a deeply familiar relationship to the filmmaker, a reality that can act as both a gift and curse for Spielberg. Being weighed against the success of his filmography hardly seems right, but in the case of Disclosure Day a keen eyed viewer will gladly sense the undeniable influences of some of the director’s prior works. Close Encounters of a Third Kind (1977) is presented in the way that the auteur embraces the wonders of beyond rather than keeping them at arms length, allusion to Minority Report (2007) surfaces in the creation of a recognizable world augmented only slightly by its more advanced technology, A.I: Artificial Intelligence (2001) manifests itself in the potentiality of a future currently unimaginable by mankind. Disclosure Day is of course a distinctly different film from all of these notable influences, but the hues and brush strokes of the master artist are unmistakably present.
Spielberg’s latest is led by the dynamic tandem of performers in Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place) and Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dad Man, Challengers). Blunt plays Kansas City meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, a restless soul, tormented by unresolved events of her past that invoke within her a constant feeling of unease, and a desperate desire to stay in motion. O’Connor embodies Dr. Daniel Kellner, a cybersecurity expert in possession of his former employer’s deepest secrets, a moral decision he makes for the betterment of humanity. Like many of Steven Spielberg’s greatest films, Disclosure Day wastes no time, dropping audiences immediately into the heart of the action, allowing for intricate details to fall into place as the story unfolds.
Very few directors are capable of holding the countless number of loose threads of compositional detail the way that Spielberg can. Weaving together a complex story, inspiring performances, stunning visuals and of course a masterful score by the legendary screen composer John Williams (Star Wars, Jaws), Disclosure Day is further evidence of a form of greatness already established decades ago. Spielberg‘s reunion with John Williams imbues the science fiction thriller with a magical quality from its onset, partially because Williams’ score is ferocious and propulsive, but also because sentimental audiences are likely to realize that this may very well be the final time that the 94 year-old composer and the 79 year-old filmmaker are likely to collaborate. The magic of Steven Spielberg, especially when he wades into the waters of science fiction, is that he has the uncanny ability to force audiences to look upward and within simultaneously. It is very difficult for filmmakers to keep sci-fi from becoming cold and isolated like the limitless depths of outer space, and yet in Disclosure Day, Spielberg once again tells a story that is about the natural existence of limitless human curiosity.
Target Score 9/10 - Disclosure Day is a deeply propulsive and profoundly crafted work of science fiction. Offering an impressive menu of complex performances and chillingly detailed visual environments, the latest film from Steven Spielberg is undeniable proof that the master filmmaker is as razor sharp as he was a half century ago.