Movie Review: Disclosure Day

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

Steven Speilberg fully in his element. ''

Spielberg returns to one of his most successful themes here, that of humans meeting extra-terrestrials. It may be hard to think of how in today's day and age, anyone (even Spielberg) could create something new or original out of such a premise but Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp (writer on the Spielberg films, Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), War of the Worlds (2005) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)) do just that. Instead of focusing on the aliens themselves, this film is more concerned with the humans. In fact, we only see the aliens briefly here and mostly in "archival footage," rather than the present day. What this movie really looks into is how people would react if conclusive proof that aliens were rea suddenly came to light. With so many conspiracy theories of the government hiding information about aliens from us, this is a fascinating concept to truly explore. It raises truly great and thought-provoking questions as to how such information would affect our entire understanding of the world. I especially loved how this movie looked at whether or not people's belief in God would be challenged by such a discovery. Taking a look at human nature, this film avoids the pure pessimism that would overtake the movie in the hands of many filmmakers. Rather this is a movie that is willing to see both the good and bad in people. The movie also explores the idea of whether the truth should be told regardless of possible consequences, a question that has no easy answer.

Being directed by Spielberg this movie also of course features top-notch filmmaking throughout. The action scenes are truly wonderful here, full of the great excitement and fun that only the director of the Indiana Jones movies could bring us. The larger-than-life scenes of fantasy storytelling are also incredible here. They capture some of the same sense of joy, wonder and awe that we had when we first watched E.T. Even with some obvious and unconvincing CGI, these scenes feel like a return to the Spielberg that helped so many of us fall in love with movies. Of course, John Williams' (who has worked on most of the great director's masterpieces) musical score helps bring this sense of magic as well. 

The characters may not always be incredibly complex, but they do their jobs quite well. The main characters are not only likable, but they are also relatable to the point where we find ourselves very this sci-fi fantasy through their eyes, making it all the more real. Great performances by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor help a great deal in this department.  

A must see for fans of classic Spielberg.