Everyone knows who Steven Spielberg is, don't they? His films have been part of our collective pop culture memory for decades.
These film experiences and the subsequent memories they've left in our heads are captivating. I'm all for this populist stance of filmmaking pleasing everyone, but I wouldn't say I'm all for Spielberg's latest film, "Disclosure Day."
In the spirit of past Spielberg films, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and "Minority Report," "Disclosure Day" is a science fiction thriller about four disparate people connected to a giant conspiracy of extraterrestrial life.
Aliens have been visiting Earth and interacting with humans for decades, and mysterious leaders have kept it a secret from everyone until now.
A mathematically gifted data analyst steals recorded evidence of these aliens and resolves to release it all to a news outlet, revealing the truth to the world. But first the data analyst has to outwit and outrun lots of mean secret police officers determined to stop him.
Watching "Disclosure Day" reminds me of Spielberg's well-rounded cinematic fluency; he knows every necessary piece of the puzzle to make any film efficiently satisfying, entertaining, and consistent. He always knows how to make something look great.
This crowd-pleasing entertainment and visual control makes even the name Spielberg a dependable sign for fun adventures in mainstream cinema. These are all good things, and they are all apparent in this film. But don't be misled thinking "Disclosure Day" is an adrenaline rush of action, explosions, or brushes with death. You're not getting that in this one.
This film is more of an ideological or analytical race for information. When the main characters aren't evading the bad guys, they spend time talking about the ethics of revealing classified information, the role of religion alongside scientific discovery, and the importance of empathy in the progress of our species.
Having a science fiction film take a more emotional or personal approach is reminiscent of past films like "Contact" from 1997 or another Spielberg picture, "AI," "Artificial Intelligence" from 2001
Having this more internal approach does not make this film boring or disappointing. It's actually interesting to see these human characters learn how to use alien powers and alien technology to connect with each other or uncover secrets of their past.
All the dialog on this philosophical stuff is acted well by everyone, some of it is written well, and some of it is dumb. But when our lead characters finally get the truth spread across the world, how will humanity react?
The central message of "Disclosure Day" is the power of revelation and the importance of spreading truth to the masses, even when the truth is unbelievable.
Parts of this film are interesting, and one chase scene with two onrushing trains has the expected excitement Spielberg is known for. But the central message of revelation feels corny and old-fashioned, because this importance on the global release of truth feels so removed from anything in real life today.
This old-fashioned vibe is also due to a lacking sophistication and lacking profundity, due mainly to the inconsistent screenplay.
When this film reached its hopeful climax ending, I thought that's it, and I kept thinking that as I remained in my seat in the theater. There aren't enough new ideas in Disclosure Day to make it feel important enough for people to rush to the theater, but maybe you can wait for it to show up on a streaming platform in your home
For Flix at 48 I'm Casey T Allen.
