Genre: Drama; Sci-fi; Action
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: David Koepp
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo
While I don't have that much knowledge about the Disclosure Archives and UFO theories and proof, cinematically speaking I thought Spielberg's latest is a copy paste of ideas from other movies like Arrival, E.T. and X-Men... and they all make an alien version of the Our Lady of Fátima. Still... there are a big couple of aspects to praise and that make this movie watchable, with Emily Blunt being the greatest of them.
The movie starts as a mystery thriller as two different narratives are told and you just wonder when will they intersect and in which terms: a cybersecurity expert that steals some confidential material and a weather girl who start experiencing strange things during her day. And don't take me bad for saying it (but Spielberg makes no mystery about it), but the stolen material are proof of alien existence on Earth and there's a succession of things around it. The most interesting thing about Disclosure Day is that the audience always knows what the mystery is about, but the director has no issues with that: instead he revolves around the possible consequences of the public release of that information while making Margaret and Daniel being chased by a bunch of bad guys that work for the governement... And that's also the movie's major fault since I felt like I watched an action movie with multiple stops to try to meditate about the subject but it never really reaches its core nor spends enough time trying to it. Of course I ask myself: Would handling the more philosophical side of the movie sacrifice the action tone way too much? Would not handling these questions make Disclosure Day a hollow chase movie? Well... I belive we got in between and the result is a movie that it's neither good nor bad, it's something watchable but it's not something that had my full attention nor my repulse. The issue? David Koepp's writing (I know he is the pen behind Jurassic Park but I always feel his works only touch the surface).
But for such vanilla writing there are two and a half saving graces: Emily Blunt, who's exceptional (and sensational) as Margaret, a woman who's tryig to figure out what's happening to her and what's the meaning of that on a global scale (I would consider it to be to Blunt what Lucy was to Scarlett Johansson, but Margaret has some kind of inner soulful grace that Blunt beautifully plays with what I consider to be the most expressive and deep eyes in the industry); John Williams' score is also a wonder for the ears and it ignites the humanist touch of wonder of Spielberg films, with some truly beautiful compositions along the movie that elevate its emotional punch; and the half wonder is Josh O'Connor, one of the brightest actors of his generation more than holding himself in such a big production with an underdeveloped character and some cringe lines they got him to say... still, he really elevates what's given to him.
Technically, I also felt underwhelmed by the film. The alien design goes through the common stereotype, bad CGI animals, an uninspired villain (Colin Firth deserved better) and a totally wasted Elizabeth Marvel (who marks what could probably be the most interesting aspect of the movie since she represented alien proof vs religion/spirituality). Janusz Kamiński's cinematography delivers exactly what I expected from him as a longtime Spielberg collaborator and the action and chasing scenes were well-directed, well-edited and elevated with nice sound editing and mixing work.
In the end, Disclosure Day was pretty forgettable and maybe my least favorite alien Spilberg movie. It has all the usual Spielberg trademarks, but I feel the movie's core got lost while screenwriter was trying to check all the boxes - the result is a movie that ends-up as formulatic and it fails when it's time to meditate about the questions it asks. Watchable? Yes, and Blunt is worth the admission price alone. Will I watch it again? Not intentionally, but I might see it if I catch it on TV one day. It ends a near perfect sequence of Spielberg films since 2012.
RATING: 5/10
Oscar potential categories:
- Best Actress in a Leading Role (Emily Blunt)
- Best Original Score
- Best Sound
- Best Visual Effects
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