Disclosure Day

It’s Disclosure Day. The day we learn what the X-files have told us for years…the truth is still out there and about to come to light.

Full Disclosure: This review contains spoilers. Remain in the dark and turn away.

Synopsis

Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Conner) and Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson) flee from a government organization with highly classified materials. What those files contain could create world chaos and havoc. They work with Hugo Wakefield (Colin Domingo) to find a safe place to share the classified information with the world. Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) uses every government resource possible to stop Kellner before he reconnects with Hugo. Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) becomes part of the problem when during a broadcast her voice shifts to an alien speech pattern of clicks. What’s the connection between all the characters? Is there more to Kellner and Fairchild?

Disclosing Positives

The plot, in true Spielberg fashion, comes out strong, gripping you from the beginning. The first scene leaves you with filled with questions. Where is it going? What is the device in Kellner’s hand? Why is he running? As the film continues, more questions pop up until breadcrumbs fall from the sky. Each breadcrumb adding to the plot. Eventually, everything comes together at the end of the film and wraps the story up nicely.

I appreciated how the plot did not go the direction I thought it was going. Initially, the identity of both Kellner and Fairchild was not what I thought they would be. Based on the flow of the plot, I was certain about their role in the story. I welcomed the twist in the plot and appreciated more when it revealed itself.

Disclosing Negatives

I didn’t enjoy the slow pace of the film. The run time is over two hours and the action in the scenes seemed subpar compared to other Spielberg films. The focus remains on world-building and trying to figure out the role of each of the characters, which for me dragged the plot through intergalactic mud. At one point, I questioned the importance of one character and felt that character’s role could have been eliminated. However, the ending supports the need for the character and, in retrospect, I can understand it. Though, I still think eliminating the role would have supported quickening the pace of the film. Especially, since the character’s role appears to present a subtle question for the audience to consider.

Disclosing a Deeper Dive

Truthfully, the film felt like watching a modernized version of Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets ET. So many similarities between all the characters. Kellner questioning what he has and wanting to share the information, Fairchild lost about what is happening to her and how her character develops. Throw in some alien tech to add to the suspense, and you have Disclosure Day.

The film questions life beyond our planet and how humans would react if, or when, they learn there is a being beyond the all powerful “God.” One entity wants to prevent the disclosure of alien life, another believe everyone has the right to know. If extraterrestrial life existed, how would humanity react? Would humanity simply accept the fact there is life beyond our planet and we are not the superior beings we’d like to believe we are, or would chaos ensue as suggested in Men in Black? Finally, how does this knowledge affect humans on a religion spectrum? Spielberg’s film places a potential punctuation to this question.

Disclosing My Ranking

I enjoyed the film and the direction Spielberg takes us. Hinting at the essential question and providing the ending he felt matches the current state of humanity. However, the pacing and the similarities with some of his other works left me questioning how much I enjoyed the film overall. For me, 3/5 stars. I think Spielberg played it safe dancing around the question and leave the ending up to interpretation of the viewers. What are your thoughts? Share what you think in the comments below.