We’ve all had that friend who used to be absolutely legendary. The life of every party, the one who could walk into a room and immediately own it and then somewhere along the way, they just… lost the plot. Still showed up, still technically “there,” but the spark? Gone. That’s been Spielberg for a while now. Not bad. Never bad. But not that Spielberg. Well, grab your popcorn and strap in, because that Spielberg is back with aliens.
Disclosure Day asks one of those questions that sounds simple until you actually sit with it: what happens to the world when we find out we’re not alone in the universe — and the world is already on the brink of tearing itself apart?
So What Is The Story About?
You are immediately thrown into the deep end here, and whether you know how to swim or not is irrelevant. There’s a shadow government agency called WARDEX, that has secret evidence of alien visits since the Nixon administration. And their head honcho Noah Scanlon, played by Colin Firth, has been keeping a lid on it for eons. The story follows Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), a former WARDEX tech genius who gets out of prison and immediately gets recruited again. Right from the prison car park, mind you. Now here is a level of HR efficiency that calls for respect. But he has now gone rogue. He’s stolen a powerful device of alien origin and wants to blow the whole cover-up wide open. Naturally, the people keeping those secrets aren’t thrilled about him sharing them with the rest of humanity. So Scanlon kidnaps Daniel’s girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) to lure him out.
Meanwhile, in Kansas City. TV weather presenter Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) wakes up one day and suddenly speaks fluent Russian and Korean. A red cardinal lands on her kitchen table and she starts making strange clicking noises on live TV. This understandably stirs concern in her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell). In fact I would be concerned if it didn’t.
These two storylines — Daniel on the run and Margaret having what appears to be a very dramatic existential crisis, are hurtling towards each other, and the connection between them is the beating heart of the whole film.
The Good Stuff (There’s a Lot of It)
The big question going into this was whether Spielberg still has it. The answer is an emphatic, slightly embarrassing yes. Embarrassing because it makes you realise how much you missed it. The chase sequences in this film are ridiculous in the best possible way. The chase scenes include a car, a moving train, and Colin Firth’s terrifying head of security Boyd played by Henry Lloyd-Hughes. That had my jaw somewhere near my chest. The camera moves like it’s alive, and it’s delightful to see that careful thought was put into every shot. Quite a revolutionary concept, I think.
John Williams does the music, and if you needed any more convincing that this man is simply operating on a different plane of existence to the rest of us, the score here apparently ranks among his finest work. At nearly 94 years old. Absolutely unhinged and he earns my respect.
The Cast
Emily Blunt is, without any exaggeration, breathtaking in this. Emily Blunt carries Margaret’s confusion, fear, determination, and vulnerability with remarkable ease. She makes the character feel so authentic that the line between actor and role almost disappears. It’s no wonder that she is being singled out as one of the film’s biggest strengths. She brings humour, heart, and just enough weirdness to make Margaret one of Spielberg’s most memorable recent characters.
Josh O’Connor, who audiences will recognise from The Crown and Challengers, holds the conspiracy-heavy side of the story together while the film throws all kinds of spectacle around him. His Daniel is someone you root for immediately. Partly because O’Connor makes vulnerability look cool in a way most actors can’t.
Colin Firth playing the villain is terrifyingly effective. He brings this cold, almost bureaucratic menace to Scanlon. A man who genuinely believes the monstrous things he’s doing are for the greater good. That kind of villain is the most dangerous. And Firth plays it out beautifully.
A Few Things Worth Mentioning
Some critics are calling it Spielberg’s best blockbuster since Minority Report. Praising its sense of wonder, emotional weight, and old-school adventure. A few critics feel Spielberg is revisiting some familiar ground here. The difference is that he does it with enough energy, wonder, and confidence that it’s hard to complain too much.
Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, if you’re going to revisit alien conspiracies, government cover-ups and mysterious encounters, Spielberg is probably the person you’d want behind the camera.
Disclosure Day is the kind of film that reminds you why you fell in love with cinema. It’s got spectacle, heart, a proper villain, and a lead performance from Emily Blunt. That alone deserves every award conversation that’s coming its way. What makes Disclosure Day particularly interesting is its timing. Over the last few years, UFO discussions have moved from conspiracy forums to government hearings and mainstream news coverage. Suddenly the idea of hidden information about unexplained aerial phenomena doesn’t feel quite as far-fetched as it once did. The movie taps directly into that cultural moment and asks what happens when the truth finally comes out.
Watch The Final Trailer here:
Whether Disclosure Day ultimately joins the ranks of Spielberg classics remains to be seen. But early reactions suggest something that might be even more important.
It’s a Steven Spielberg sci-fi movie that still inspires curiosity.
And in an era where many blockbusters seem obsessed with setting up the next sequel, that sense of wonder feels surprisingly refreshing.
It’s a movie, made by a director who’s pushing 80. A director who still has more craft in his little finger than most directors have in their entire careers. The difference is that he clearly still gives a damn.
Go see it. Preferably on the biggest screen you can find.
Disclosure Day opens in cinemas on June 12, 2026.
