Spielberg’s Alien Thriller Has Style, but Not Enough Suspense

Steven Spielberg’s new film, "Disclosure Day" ("The Discovery"), is reviewed as a disappointment despite its strong premise. At age 79, Spielberg returns to a conspiracy thriller about extraterrestrials, following a recent wave of U.S. government releases of UFO-related files and footage. The story is set against a severe geopolitical crisis and centers on a cyber expert who holds classified evidence proving aliens exist.

The cast includes Colman Domingo as Hugo, a sympathetic but unresolved figure who helps Daniel Kellner, played by Josh O’Connor, a brilliant cyber specialist. Emily Blunt plays Margaret Fairchild, a weather presenter who hopes to become a news anchor and develops telepathic abilities as well as the power to understand and speak foreign languages. Colin Firth plays Noah Scanlon, Daniel’s former employer and the film’s black-suited antagonist, who tries to stop the leak of the classified material.

The review says the movie’s technical craft is its strongest element. Spielberg makes full use of cinematography, including elaborate one-takes, a camera moving inside a driving car, and striking aerial shots. John Williams’ score is praised as nostalgic and closely tied to Spielberg’s self-references. Blunt is singled out for one of the best performances of her career and is described as carrying much of the film.

Even so, the film is judged to fall short as a thriller. The first half builds some tension, but the plot becomes predictable as it goes on and ends in an anticlimax. The alien design is called generic, and the film’s ideas, including a religious angle, are said to be introduced only casually and not developed. The review concludes that Spielberg has made a stylish film that does not fully deliver on suspense, emotion, or originality.