Release the files!
This has been going on long enough, and it’s high time that the powerful were held accountable for their lies. The conspiracy must be exposed, and the truth needs to be given to the people.
The Trump administration may have declassified more than 160 military archive files related to UFOs (or UAPs – “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon”) three weeks ago, but releasing some grainy surveillance videos as a means of distraction is not what the public demand. Much as you try to bury it, the truth is out there, and Fox Mulder’s quest remains prescient to this day.
Sorry, which files were you thinking about?
As disappointing as the recent US file dump was, it did conveniently coincide with the marketing buzz surrounding Steven Spielberg’s newest film, in which The Beard revisits his passion for interstellar visitors. The hype surrounding Disclosure Day even led some eager fans to speculate that it might be a stealth sequel to the director’s classic 1977 film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.
Spoiler: It’s not, but there is plenty of shared DNA.
We meet Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), a rogue cybersecurity specialist for the very shady Wardex Corporation. He’s in possession of some sensitive material: 107 drives which contain the complete archive of the US’ footage of alien encounters. Everything from the Roswell incident in 1947 and up. He has also stolen a piece of alien tech which his nefarious boss, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), wants back at all costs.
Scanlon has taken the wannabe whistleblower’s girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) hostage, and wants to know who else from Wardex has betrayed him. Daniel’s colleague, Hugo Wakefield (Coleman Domingo), is one of them, as he too thinks the moment has come for the world to know the truth.
At the same time, perky TV weatherperson Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is experiencing something of a transformation. It all starts with a red cardinal flying into her kitchen, and suddenly she can communicate across all languages. She even starts to dabble in telepathy. When she goes on air, she has a fit and starts talking in a series of strange clicks, as if inhabited by a foreign entity.
The fates of Daniel and Margaret are set to collide, all against the backdrop of impending war, as the US and Russia are on the brink of nuking each other to kingdom come.
Can irrefutable proof of the existence of alien lifeforms unite the world and remind humanity of its compassion? Or will it disprove God and further destabilize governments – meaning it might be time to start playing Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’?
There’s a lot to admire about Spielberg going full X Files in 2026. A government conspiracy about to be blown wide open by a group of truth-unearthing rogues who still believe that everyone will accept a news report on a local television channel and not shrug it off as either AI-generated slop or fake news? If only.
The snag is that David Koepp’s unwieldy screenplay really lets the side down on this one.
His script does include moments which thrillingly veer into something indebted to Fringe, itself a descendant of Chris Carter’s cult show. However, and without venturing into spoiler territory, it also includes clumsy dialogue, more out-of-touch-with-present-times plot holes than you can shake an alien artefact at, and overly literal moments which will make any conscious audience member want to scream: “We get it, now for the love of Dana Scully’s scepticism, move on!!”.
The less said about the disappointingly stereotypical alien aesthetic (which subverts no expectations), as well as some truly awful CGI animals, the better.
The stellar work of Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth (playing a silver-foxed version of The X Files’ Cigarette Smoking Man) and the show-stealing Emily Blunt keeps things afloat, and Spielberg’s childlike earnestness does manage to shine through. Wishing to address whether humanity has the capacity to accept a revelation that would challenge everything from faith to science to humanity’s very purpose, the director makes a potent and timely plea for communication and empathy – which we learn is considered by aliens as the human race’s “evolutionary advantage.”
Add a few chats about the ethics of secrecy, a smirking nun (Elizabeth Marvel), and a terrific train-collision action sequence, and you’ve got yourself an entertaining and broadly thought-provoking blockbuster.
While Spielberg’s heart is unquestionably in the right place (ie: on his sleeve), the 79-year-old director does undercut his thrill ride with hefty dollops of schmaltz. It can’t come as too much of a surprise considering some of his past efforts, but when sentimentality swerves into triteness, emotional investment and patience are threatened.
Those completely on board with Disclosure Day will applaud the unabashed optimism and find it refreshing in troubled and cynical times.
For others who are more on the fence and who can’t forgive some of the script’s pitfalls, the film’s reveals won’t conjure a sense of awe. They will, however, make viewers cackle.
The drawn-out finale in particular – which should have ended 15 minutes earlier – will come off as intergalactically naff. Not because the film centers on the existence of aliens; rather due to Spielberg and Koepp having learned nothing from their much-derided ending to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, choosing instead to double-down in the worst way possible.
For all its faults, Disclosure Day takes some big swings. It ultimately fails to evoke the same jaw-dropping wonderment as some of Spielberg’s previous forays in sci-fi, but the propulsive momentum sees it through. And ultimately, even two strong thirds of a Spielberg adventure still assures a satisfying trip to the talkies. You’ll just wish Disclosure Day ’s mysteries had a better payoff, and that its message of hope had a less anticlimactic send-off.
The truth is still out there. Release the files.
All. The. Files.
Disclosure Day is out in European cinemas now and hits US theatres on Friday.