“Disclosure Day” (Universal) is the third installment in Steven Spielberg’s friendly alien trilogy, including 1977’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and 1982’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (“War of the Worlds” doesn’t count because those aliens were meaner than Pete Hegseth). It’s also heavy on religious allegories, as well as a serious indictment of secretive government agencies. The latter is especially notable due to our current administration’s obsession with Area 51.
Somewhere in the DC area, Daniel (Josh O’Connor, who has played queer characters in “God’s Own Country” and “The History of Sound”) is in possession of more than 100 flash drives and a mysterious device. Noah (Colin Firth, who played gay in “A Single Man” and “Supernova”), Daniel’s former boss at a tech security company favored by the Department of Defense, desperately wants those items. Noah has kidnapped Daniel’s girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson), a former novitiate, and will exchange her for the goods. Hugo (out actor Colman Domingo), another former employee of Noah’s, is the one who enlisted Daniel to take the materials and has entrusted Daniel with their safe delivery.
Meanwhile, in Kansas City, Missouri, TV weather reporter Margaret (Emily Blunt, who played queer in “My Summer of Love”), is looking to improve her career prospects. She lives with her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell), who doesn’t share her ambitions. When a male cardinal flies into their loft through an open window, Margaret starts speaking in a foreign language, setting off a chain reaction for which no one was prepared.
How does it all connect, you ask? The drives Daniel is transporting contain video footage of extra-terrestrial encounters dating back more than 70 years, as well as some more recent ones. Wardex, Noah’s company, was tasked with keeping the footage safe for fear of the impact such evidence of alien interactions would have on the planet, at a time when the threat of World War III was imminent. Hugo, on the other hand, believed that time was of the essence when it came to disclosing the long-hidden information to the public at large.
Then there’s Daniel and Margaret’s “Hansel & Gretel” connection. As adults, both have periods of time unaccounted for from their childhoods. They also possess unexplained abilities. Daniel is a mathematical genius who can also translate unusual vocal sounds into English. This comes in handy because, during a weather segment, Margaret makes those unusual vocal sounds. She can also speak Russian and Korean with no prior experience in either language, as well as having intimate knowledge of people's lives, supposedly reading their minds.
In the interest of not providing spoilers, all will be disclosed -- get it? -- when you see the movie. Chock full of special effects, car chases, loud crashes, and an anxiety-inducing sequence with freight trains, “Disclosure Day” narrowly avoids being a total disappointment, but we deserve better (and expect more from Spielberg) when it comes to summer entertainment.
Rating: B-
