Disclosure Day doesn’t add much to ‘alien’ discourse
Disclosure Day, Stephen Spielberg’s newest film about the disclosure of alien life to humanity, has gotten … reception. Some people have sung its praises, although not as warmly (even for it’s most fierce defenders) as execs and fans may have hoped. Others have ripped it to shreds. I fall somewhere in the middle. It’s an enjoyable watch, and a nice ride, but ultimately it’s disappointing compared to expectations. This is a Stephen Spielberg movie about Aliens. With big stars and a big budget. And John Fucking Williams. Again, Aliens. Stars. Brink's Trucks. John Williams. Compared to the potential of that .. can’t say it lands how it could’ve. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing. It is.
Let’s start with negatives, since it is a film that leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth. The biggest criticism I have of this film is its closing moment. An ending that leaves things open for interpretation is not inherently bad. An ending that takes about two hours of build-up and then spits at you with an absolute nothing-burger, is bad. The ending feels worthy of groans, and the sinking idea that all of that time was wasted just for Spielberg to take no stance on what a potential E.T. would say or think or want to communicate to humanity. Instead of at least taking a shot, Spielburg asks the audience to take their own and fill in the blanks. Boooooo. A bad shot is better than no shot. This feels like a turnover on downs, or a shot-clock violation. You gotta fucking do something. Anything is more interesting than nothing, which is what this film seems to end with.
Positives? Emily Blunt is operating at her absolute highest form. Throwing 103 and getting that pitch precisely where she wants. She’s rolling. She steals every scene, the whole movie, practically, and carries the damn thing. Set-pieces also for the win here. The action is pretty solid, and the chase aspect is great until its payoff is, again, nothing. But for that brief moment when Josh O’Connor and his partly mind-controlled girlfriend are on the run, figuring shit out and trying to unite with Emily Blunt, you feel the stakes, and you feel the gravity. It’s obviously well done; look who we’re talking about here. But it feels like that ending minimizes some of that goodness.
We all have a grip on the whole “alien” notion at this point. No one is thrilled by the sheer sight, though the design is still great spectacle. No one is shocked by the idea of the government trying to hide their existence, either. These are more native, or (to use a harsher word) boring, themes than Spielberg may realize. That’s why you have to take a stance. That’s why you have to say something about what an E.T. would say. Because without it, the audience isn’t experiencing any theme they haven’t gotten a taste of on Joe Rogan.
