After years away from sci-fi, Steven Spielberg returns to the genre with Disclosure Day (2026), a tense and exciting movie that forces us to wonder less about aliens and more about empathy. The story revolves around a rebel group’s attempt to reveal the existence of aliens to the world. Throughout the film, it’s possible to notice clear signs that it was indeed conceived by Spielberg, or, as one internet user pointed out, a Spielberg face movie.
Disclosure Day follows Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), a hacker who discovers classified information capable of shaking the beliefs of all humanity. Meanwhile, Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), a weather reporter, suddenly discovers she can express herself in an unknown language and guess intimate details about anyone. Later, she also finds out that she can assume different archetypes.
While trying to understand what is happening, they both become targets of the WRDEX company, responsible for covering up this information. The investigation leads them through theories of extraterrestrial life and questions about humanity’s future.
Rather than treating extraterrestrials as a purely scientific phenomenon, Spielberg connects the supernatural to faith and spirituality. Margaret’s ability to embody different archetypes reinforces this approach, making her one of the film’s most interesting characters.
However, the script struggles to maintain its mystery. After a strong start, the film reveals itself too early, reducing the impact of its central conflict. The artifact at the center of the story also loses some of its significance as it becomes increasingly common throughout the narrative. As a result, the suspense feels weaker than expected, with the film only finding real tension in its final minutes.
Emily Blunt is excellent as Margaret, while Colin Firth brings depth and emotion to all of its rare appearances. A standout moment comes from Firth and Eve Hewson, whose emotional scene together is among the film’s high points. Hewson delivers a strong performance, although her character disappears for much of the story before returning near the end.
Ultimately, Disclosure Day is not Spielberg’s most groundbreaking science-fiction work, but it is among his most political. Beneath its extraterrestrial mystery, there’s a film about empathy and understanding. Rather than treating the unknown as something to fear, Spielberg presents it as something to engage with. Disclosure Day argues that humanity’s greatest challenge is not making contact with another species, but learning to listen to those who seem different from ourselves.
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The article above was edited by Isabelle Bignardi.
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