Truth in filmmaking: A review of ‘Disclosure Day’

Self-aware about how deeply sincere his work tends to be, he gives us a heads-up that what we are about to watch may not be the truth, but hey, enjoy the bread and circus.

Neither the title nor the trailers attempt to hide the plot of “Disclosure Day.” But if you want to go into it knowing nothing, stop reading and come back after you’ve watched.

During and immediately after that wrestling match, we meet Daniel (Josh O’Connor) and Jane (Eve Hewson). Men wearing black suits, holding black guns and driving black cars are chasing after them. Most of the movie is a prolonged pursuit. The shadowy, para-governmental bad guy (played in sumptuously over-the-top fashion by Colin Firth) wants to stop them from releasing evidence of alien life on Earth, which would lead to the disruption of the societal and metaphysical order. Never mind that the world is already an erratic and chaotic place.

The second storyline concerns Margaret Fairchild, a typically pretty weather forecaster for a local television station in Kansas City. Her comfortable, saccharine existence is disrupted by strange, inexplicable events, and she inexorably becomes the focus, spark and channel of the disclosure promised by the title.

Blunt utterly takes command of her role, channeling Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss from Spielberg’s first-contact classic, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”). Margaret goes through a transformation that is not physical so much as mental, spiritual and metaphysical. Blunt’s evolution from talking head to something much larger ranks among her best work, alongside her performances in “Sicario” and “The Adjustment Bureau.”

The script, written by frequent Spielberg collaborator David Koepp (“Jurassic Park”), draws from the rich lore about extraterrestrial lifeforms, UAPs and conspiracy theories, then runs it all through the Hollywood filter. Pop culture and grainy YouTube videos have seeded us so richly with ideas of what a close encounter would be like that it’s challenging to find something unique anymore. A few science fiction bits relating to the unidentifiable tech are somewhat new and interesting, but by and large, the alien stuff in “Disclosure Day” isn’t quite — alien.

The first two-thirds are highly entertaining, unfolding as a typical Amblin-style action adventure, similar to “E.T.,” with establishment forces pursuing our plucky heroes. The director is in his element. He is a virtuoso of nail-biting, stomach-churning suspense wrapped in practical stunt effects. I recall two scenes in particular, one involving a car chase and the other a hidden knife, that showcase peak Spielberg.

Watch the credits, and you see as many carpenters and contractors as you see visual effects staff members. There’s a reason for that. Conversely, the computer special effects are a bit rough throughout. During one scene, a background character asks about some strange footage, “Is that AI?” I wondered that myself about some of the CGI.

Once we enter the third act and the inevitable conclusion of the big chase, I expect the ending to be extremely divisive for audiences. Call me cynical, but it gives too much credit to humans. Would evidence of alien life really get all nations to gather around in a chorus of kumbaya? No. Frankly, a good portion of viewers would say it was fake; others would say it was a political move by the other side.

The sincerity with which Koepp and Spielberg attempt to end things doesn’t quite pay off. Structurally, the film doesn’t really answer the questions it poses. Unless, of course, we go back to that opening scene in the fighting ring and what it told us right at the start: “Disclosure Day” is not revelation. It’s spectacle.