Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 25 minutes, Director – Steven Spielberg
A cybersecurity worker (Josh O’Connor) and weather presenter (Emily Blunt) find themselves being chased by a government-linked organisation trying to cover-up existence of extra-terrestrial encounters.
Spielberg knows how to make a film in traditionally-rooted modernity. Disclosure Day could well have been made in the same decade as Close Encounters, with one or two tweaks. The visuals and narrative elements feel as at home in the 70s as they do today, but at the same time the director, who also receives a story credit while collaborator David Koepp pens the screenplay, has kept up with modern filmmaking and played with what can be done with developments in his own style.
Disclosure Day is a fast-paced thriller as much as it is a sci-fi blockbuster. Paranoia, fear and suspense are rife throughout cybersecurity operative Daniel (Josh O’Connor) and weather presenter Margaret (Emily Blunt – giving a performance up there with her exceptional turn as Mary Poppins) are chased down by armed forces from government-linked agency Wardex, trying to stop them from revealing information about earthly encounters with extra-terrestrial life. Car chases and an especially thrilling train sequence hold as much suspense as threatening conversations on other side of a table centring around multiple forms of control – led by Colin Firth as the leader of Wardex.
Threads converge and separate with a natural flow and development, with Spielberg and editor Sarah Broshar tracking each character and situation with mystery and fascination. Keeping a consistent pace for almost two-and-a-half hours in the increasingly tense flights and confrontations which the narrative runs through. Yet, Spielberg continues to focus on the narrative and wind spectacle into it. Alongside Koepp’s screenplay the drama and conversation, especially in the opening stages where we’re thrown right in and trusted to understand and keep up with the intrigue and piece things together as the world is unveiled to us with natural detail as explanation for what we need.
The director’s interest in extra-terrestrial life and UFOs, alongside how they can be linked to humanity, is as clear here as it has been throughout much of his filmography. The final stages may be a bit disrupted by narration similar to how many saw the commentary in last year’s F1, but there’s still a solid effect in the pay-off from all the suspense in the near race-against-time build-up to unveil to the world the truth that’s been covered up for almost 80 years in the film. Secrets are key to the film and its narrative of understanding and kindness, the idea isn’t forced and is allowed to filter through in the dialogue and narrative details, exchanges led by Blunt’s Margaret as she finds herself able to speak and translate different languages and develops telepathic skills.
Striking and well-tracked, with a particular effect as John Williams’ restrained score takes centre-stage over the end credits, there’s spectacle in the film – a real sense of wonder comes when we finally see brief sight of alien ships making gliding movements in the sky – that comes through in both action and conversation. Many elements feel traditional, potentially a timeless sense from the film, yet have plenty of relevance to today both narratively and cinematically.
With plenty of suspense and mystery, there’s a consistent intrigue in the fast-paced action and conversation of Disclosure Day. Allowing details to be unveiled and developed naturally, it’s a thrilling sci-fi drama with plenty of narrative spectacle.
Just A Little Bit Random 