Welcome to Earth

Early on in Disclosure Day a character is told not to, under any circumstances, release the world changing information he has on the internet. For the masses to accept the truth, the reveal must be a carefully orchestrated, communal event. That's because this alien conspiracy thriller is a film about how important it is to tell a story the right way. There aren't many people more qualified to  make such a statement than Steven Spielberg. 

Josh O'Connor plays Daniel Kellner, a cybersecurity expert who has stolen evidence of alien visitation from his employers and is trying to get it into the hands of his colleague, Coleman Domingo's Hugo so they can blow the doors off years of cover ups. Meanwhile, TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is finding she can speak multiple languages, including one that seems to be non-human, and finds herself compelled to find Daniel. Chasing after them is shady suit Noah Scanion (Colin Firth) and his security team. These events take place against a backdrop of military tension in Korea that may be about to set off WWIII. 

This plot in itself is nothing spectacular. It's a fairly standard conspiracy driven story of getting from point A to point B while some bad guys periodically arrive to make things complicated. There is obviously a sci-fi bent to proceedings but neither the science or big picture ideas on display are anything new. Events rely on leaps of faith and magical MacGuffins to pan out how the script desires.  Turns out none of that really matters though,  as any hint of things feeling tired or played out are washed away by a tidal wave of Spielbergness. 

Firstly, outstanding direction breathes life into what could have been the slower parts of the movie. Dynamic camera movement and a well-lit, realistic visual style propel scenes of the characters doing  mundane things. Great visual blocking means dialogue heavy scenes don't stall the pace of the movie and attention to detail adds to the atmosphere. When a bewildered regular Joe is told to reverse his car over a mobile phone, he takes a couple of attempts to get the job done. 

The other big Spielberg indicator is a gigantic helping of anti-cynicism. In this world the possibility of alien life is treated with wonder, knowledge is not the enemy of faith and empathy is the ultimate form of evolution. This isn't (as some people were guessing) a sleeper sequel to one of his sci-fi classics, but it very much shares their soul.

A stellar cast helps get the message across. Josh O'Connor and Emily Blunt are predictably fantastic leads, Colin Firth's well-spoken charm makes him a surprisingly effective corporate villain and there aren't many people better at delivering a rousing monologue than Coleman Domingo. There are also solid supporting performances from Eve Hewson and Wyatt Russell as the partners of the two leads. Hewson's character brings a religious perspective to extraterrestrial life and a bemused Russel just wants to know what the hell is going on. 

The one Spielberg factor that, kind of, works against the film is the ultra American focus. Despite the world altering stakes and backdrop of global peril, everything takes place in the US. In fact, given how quickly characters catch up with each other, it feels like we are only ever in one little part of the country. It's a thriller rather than a typical summer blockbuster so the lack of scale doesn't hurt the moment to moment action, but it does make the story feel smaller than it should.

Still, any issues don't stand up to the craft and sheer optimism in humanity on display here. Even if you find old school Spielberg hard to balance against the current state of the world you have to admire that his answer to "would people really believe all this?" is, "they would if I was in charge of telling them". 

8 nighttime trips into the woods out of 10.