Disclosure Day (2026) Universal/Sci-Fi-Thriller RT: 145 minutes Rated PG-13 (action/violence, some bloody images, strong language) Director: Steven Spielberg Screenplay: David Koepp Music: John Williams Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski Release date: June 12, 2026 (US) Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Elizabeth Marvel, Hettienne Park, Tommy Martinez, Gabby Beans, Jeremy Shamos.
Rating: *** ½
Ladies and gentlemen, Steven Spielberg is back! Oh, he never actually went away; he just hasn’t had a huge hit in a long time. His last blockbuster-level film was 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Since then, it’s been mostly one box office disappointment after another with underperformers like The Adventures of Tintin (2011), Bridge of Spies (2015), The BFG (2016), Ready Player One (2018), West Side Story (2021) and The Fabelmans (2022). I’m really Disclosure Day changes all that. It’s GREAT!
There’s another reason I think Disclosure Day will be a success and it’s kind of out there so please hear me out. Spielberg’s E.T. opened on June 11, 1982. It was the biggest hit of the year. Jurassic Park opened on June 11, 1993. It was the biggest hit of the year. Do you see where I’m going with this? Okay, Disclosure Day technically opened on June 12, but it had Thursday night previews on….. June 11. So maybe, just maybe. Of course, it helps that it’s actually a great movie.
Spielberg is at his best when dealing with aliens and UFOs. It’s interesting to witness how his take on the subject has changed over the years. He’s gone from the childlike wonder of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. to the hostile invasion in War of the Worlds (2005) to the conspiracy thriller trappings of Disclosure Day. He sets it in a world on the brink of WWIII. Everybody is terrified of an impending worldwide catastrophe. Is this really the right time to confirm to the world the existence of alien life? It could potentially make things worse…. or not.
Spielberg drops us into the story in media res with cybersecurity guy Daniel Kellner (O’Connor, Challengers) trying to save his girlfriend Jane (Hewson, Robin Hood) from the clutches of a sinister outfit called Wardex. He has in his possession proof of human-alien contact and plans to release it to the world. He stole it from Wardex and they want it back. The head of the company, Noah Scanlon (Firth, The King’s Speech), doesn’t want it getting out there. He and his team of goons do their best, but Daniel manages to get away with the proof and his girlfriend. He spends the rest of the movie being chased by them while trying to meet up with the fellow orchestrating “Disclosure Day”, Wardex defector Hugo Wakefield (Domingo, Michael).
Meanwhile, Kansas City meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Blunt, A Quiet Place 1 & 2) has a close encounter of a different kind with a cardinal that flies into her apartment through an open window. Something passes between them, something that endows Margaret with extraordinary psychic abilities. She has no clue what’s happening, but it’s somehow connected to Daniel and his mission.
I don’t get excited for certain movies like I used to, but I felt a surge of that old enthusiasm as the release date for Disclosure Day drew closer. I love stuff about aliens and UFOs. I still remain a vocal fan of the cheesy UFO conspiracy thriller Hangar 18 (1980). All these years, I still watch the nighttime skies hoping to see something. ANYWAY, Disclosure Day did not disappoint. It’s a gripping, exciting and intelligent sci-fi tale that never feels the need to play dumb. It’s smart, but always accessible. It’s a summer movie that doesn’t have popcorn for brains.
Spielberg still has the magic touch, but he doesn’t do it alone. He’s helped by a solid creative team that includes screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park), composer John Williams (still going at 95) and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List). I heard some complaints from folks who found Disclosure Day confusing at the start. Granted, it takes a little while for the narratives to come together, but it was clear to me what was going on at all times. The screenplay is well-written although I would question a few details. How does a whole team of trained henchmen NOT see two people hiding behind a rock? How do they not hear them walk away? But hey, it’s a movie.
Williams hasn’t lost his touch either. He can still put together an amazing score. It nicely augments Janusz’s propulsive cinematography. Disclosure Day is always in motion except when it pauses to explain a few things or explore deeper spiritual themes. Even then, it’s still interesting. Also, there’s this one incredible sequence involving a car smashed against a moving train. It’s as thrilling as any of Indiana Jones’ derring-do.
What can I say about the cast? They absolutely crush it! Blunt is terrific as a young woman who comes to learn her true purpose in life, one determined by a childhood incident she’s blocked from her memory. O’Connor is equally good as the whistleblower. He makes a convincing ordinary Joe, a fellow without superpowers doing something super. Firth makes a great villain because he plays him as a man weighed down by a monumental secret, one that he secretly wants to unburden himself of. Domingo, in a complete 180 from his role in the biopic Michael, plays the center of calm in a wild situation. Hewson, whose character is a former nun, is the spiritual center of the film. Wyatt Russell (Thunderbolts) has some good scenes as Margaret’s boyfriend who doesn’t quite understand what’s happening to her.
For the most part, the effects in Disclosure Day are fantastic. I’ll grant that the animal CGI is dodgy, but it’s only a minor glitch in an otherwise perfectly functioning cinematic machine. I have to admit, I felt like a teenager again while I watched Disclosure Day. I briefly reconnected with the 14YO movie geek that spent his summer days sitting in cinemas while the other kids did other things. I was nice seeing that dude again. Thank you for that, Mr. Spielberg and for making one of the best summer movies in a long time. It’s NOT a hollow viewing experience. Now that’s movie magic, my friends.
