The truth is out there, and director Steven Spielberg ultimately intends to tell you all about it with his grandiose, vaguely paranoid fantasy “Disclosure Day” (Universal).
As written by David Koepp, the film emphasizes the problem-solving power of empathy in a way that mature viewers will appreciate. Yet moments in which the screenplay dabbles in speculation about the religious implications of extraterrestrial life require careful analysis.
The plot follows tumultuous developments in the seemingly unrelated lives of two principal characters across a relatively short time span. The first is cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor).
A longtime employee of the Wardex corporation – a secretive outfit that works closely with the U.S. government – Daniel has recently been conspiring with his co-worker Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) to reveal the startling reality about aliens that Wardex has been concealing from the public for decades. But their plot has been discovered, forcing Daniel to go on the run.
At the same time, Kansas City television meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) begins having a series of strange experiences. These include talking fluently in a language she has never studied and reading the minds of the people around her.
Unsurprisingly, Margaret’s uncanny behavior disturbs her live-in boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell). It may also be related, the script hints, to suppressed memories from her childhood.
As early scenes reveal, Daniel’s girlfriend, Jane Blankenship (Eve Hewson), was once a novice in the remote convent where the two briefly take refuge. Once Daniel shares his plans with her, Jane expresses ill-founded and illogical ideas about how the existence of E.T.s might cause masses of people to lose their faith in God.
Fortunately, a later sequence has Jane’s spiritual mentor, Sister Maura (Elizabeth Marvel), reassuring her that Christian story of salvation applies solely to the human race. As a consequence, its validity would be unaffected by the news that we are not alone in the universe.
Another portion of the movie in which Wardex head honcho Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) misquotes Scripture for his own malign purposes is more unsettling. He is the villain of the piece, however, so his manipulation of the sacred text can be seen as just another instance of his characteristic iniquity.
Well catechized grown-ups will be able to weigh all this fairly easily while also enjoying Spielberg’s unflagging ability to spin a good yarn. As for youngsters, this is probably not a tale of encounter to which they should draw close.
The film contains cohabitation, brief off-screen torture, at least one instance each of profanity and rough language, frequent milder swearing and several crude terms. The OSV News classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
