As time goes on, another day passes where world governments continue to tease one of life’s biggest open secrets. That being that there’s intelligent life not from this earth – and they may have already made contact with us. Perhaps for years; perhaps for centuries. This burning question has been repeatedly teased to the public like a carrot on a string, a phenomenon that has resulted in viral videos of apparent UFOs, and even a dedicated attempt to Naruto speed run Area 51 in an effort from the public to find the truth. But regardless of what we’re told, for whoever believes that the powers that be will not only reveal their hand on what they truly know of what exists beyond the stars, but also do so in a way that offers full transparency of these facts – I’d caution not to hold your breath.
But if we can’t have the real thing, there’s one man best equipped to offer us the fake thing in 4K – that being the incomparable Steven Spielberg. And that movie is Disclosure Day, the filmmaker’s long gestating UFO sci-fi mystery film, starring Emily Blunt and Hollywood’s new favorite it guy – Josh O’Connor. It’s a homecoming of sorts for Spielberg. Today, Hollywood tentpoles are defined by Marvel flicks, Tom Cruise, and the Minions. But once upon a time, it was Spielberg who was synonymous with the blockbuster. By way of landmark movies like JAWS, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and yes, E.T. & Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I mean, not like I have to explain Steven Spielberg’s resume, but it’s interesting to put the different stages of his career in perspective. Since the 90s, the director has lessened his blockbuster footprint, and has increased the more human interest stories that were a little less ubiquitous in the previous century.
In the past 25 years, it’s now the likes of Minority Report & War of the Worlds (the good/watchable one) that have been outnumbered by Munich, Lincoln, The Post, Catch Me If You Can, and Westside Story. This isn’t a criticism, mind you; Spielberg has since the beginning been an eclectic filmmaker willing to dive into any subject that catches his interest. The versatility of his filmography is a useful skill that helps keep movies fresh. But I can’t deny that it isn’t tempting to see the innovator of the spectacle film dive back into his bag of tricks. How has Spielberg, in 2026, evolved from the Spielberg of Close Encounters? And what part of that old magic has he kept with him?
The plot of the movie is heavily apparent by the film’s title, a title that has grown on me after initially sounding clunky & banal. In this world, there’s massive secrets being held from the public, and a dedicated effort from a small group of protagonists to make these secrets known. Pretty straightforward plotting, and in the film’s recently released trailer 2, we can see our best look at what exactly this enigmatic film is withholding:
Spooky stuff.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a spaceship to reveal itself faster than that closing shot, which appears to be a gorgeously shot scene featuring Spielberg’s expert framing. The majority of the trailer gives only glimpses of the movie’s special effects, with the meat of the trailer focused on the psychological effect this is having on the characters. Josh O’Connor’s character seems like a reluctant hero, forcing himself to reveal something important to the world even though it will be challenging to circumvent the powers that be that are making disclosure difficult. Then there’s Emily’s Blunt, who’s going through it in ways no one can possibly envy. While O’Connor’s character appears to be driving the plot forward, what’s going on with Blunt is more mysterious and could be the lynchpin of what this lore is all about. Who is she, and is she even human herself? If not, why is she the vessel where so much weird shit is happening?
The speculation is good. I’m glad we don’t have clear answers yet, and I hope the marketing never shows the movie’s full hand. How often in today’s Hollywood do we get the privilege of going into a major mainstream film without knowing the basic path the premise is going to take? Especially when there are social media threads dedicated to unraveling every plot thread before release, as if the movie is a puzzle to solve. There needs to be more mystique, more patience, and more movie magic.
It’s a stacked year for major blockbuster films, with a variety of different flavors. Disclosure Day, of all these movies, may be resemble a bit of comfort food for a type of blockbuster that had its heyday 20/30 years ago. But that could be part of the film’s selling – a timely throwback, but one that also touches upon a zeitgeisty topic of the moment. And at a time where we’re more convinced than ever that the very institutions who claim to have our best interests at heart, are clearly lying to us and often to our face. A movie isn’t the remedy for that problem, but a good bit of escapism that also plays on real anxieties about our place in the universe is still one worthwhile voyage to go on.
Disclosure Day reveals its dazzling secrets on June 12th, 2026
