Title – Disclosure Day (2026)
Director – Steven Spielberg (Ready Player One)
Cast – Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell
Plot – A group of everyday citizens including tech wizard Dr. Daniel Kellner (O’Connor) and weatherwoman Margaret Fairchild (Blunt) get embroiled in a scenario that could change the course of human history as we know it.
“We deserve to know”
Review by Eddie on 12/06/2026
Disclaimer – This is a spoiler free review.
Steven Spielberg and science fiction, a match made in movie-going heaven.
From the wonderment of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the unforgettable warm embrace that was E.T, the thrill of the chase in Minority Report, the before it’s time A.I, the fun escapism of Ready Player One and the set piece extravaganza of The War of the Worlds, Spielberg’s work in the sci-fi genre had given many much cause for hope when it was announced his newest feature was the shrouded in secrecy Disclosure Day.
Doing a fantastic marketing job right up until its release at keeping things very much under wraps about just what we could expect from Spielberg’s latest collaboration with screenwriter David Koepp (a writer who misses as much as he hits), it saddens me greatly to report that the overriding feeling I had walking out from the release day screening of Disclosure Day can only be described as an overarching flatness, having just witnessed an unexpectedly dull and instantly forgettable offering from a master of his craft.
A film that is loaded across its bloated two and half hour running time with a series of fascinating questions and possibilities it feels unable to answer or explore to a great extent, Disclosure Day is mostly an unexciting cat and mouse chase film that happens to harbour in its core a desire to present to us some big questions about humankinds’ existence in the wider universe, but in this dream to present to us a thinking man’s sci-fi, Spielberg and Koepp forgot to have fun along the way, as their overly sentimental and sometimes downright trite script works against the films chances of success.
Throwing us into an initially vague situation that raises the pulse levels and engages us with the routes it may be taking us on to an unknown destination, the glimmers of hope present early on are steadily covered up as we march on our way here, thrown into a repetitive feeling flow as Josh O’Connor Dr. Daniel Kellner and Emily Blunt’s weatherwoman Margaret Fairchild go on the run as Colin Firth’s generic government suit Noah Scanlon pursues them for the sake of national security, with only a small moment of a car vs a train able to slightly raise our pulse levels.
As Spielberg’s more than capable cast try to work with the material they’ve been given, with O’Connor and Firth saddled with rather unspectacular roles, Blunt attempts to breathe life and energy into her performance as the thrown into the deep end Margaret but with Spielberg’s and Koepp’s script very far from where Disclosure Day needed it to be, no one was ever going to single-handedly save this hammy affair from itself.
If anything was going to save Spielberg’s disappointment from the blandness that seeps through it, it was going to come in the form of the much talked about finale that has been hidden from all marketing materials in the lead up to Disclosure Day’s release, but unfortunately for all, it’s a mostly cringe affair that once again raises a bunch of fantastic scenarios and questions then leaves it at that, making for a pay-off that fails to make all that’s come before feel worth it.
I’ve seen commentary online about how a single appearance of a news anchor in the film’s final act raises more emotion and performance power than the entirety of the rest of the film and it’s hard to disagree with this sentiment, as this scene stands out from an otherwise drab “blockbuster” that pales in comparison to Spielberg’s other sci-fi works and his other big-budgeted event films that have more often than not provided us with at the most basic levels a feeling of fun and adventure that Disclosure Day is desperately missing.
Final Say –
After what’s been a significantly strong run of 2026 event films so far, Disclosure Day arrives to remind us all that even the most talented of filmmakers can fail us, marking Spielberg’s latest feature down as a big swing and a miss that is unlikely to gain much public goodwill.
2 Steve Carell like reporting meltdowns out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 
I was more or less on the fence about watching this movie but was willing to give it a go out of curiosity, and because I like Emily Blunt, but thank you for saving me about $20 and 3 hrs of time (plus the previews). Now I will eagerly await spoilers in the relevant reddit threads. ^O^
I was extremely disappointed in this one. I suspect it will have its fans but for the most part I’d be confident in saying it’s going to have a tough time getting much positive word of mouth. The critics have been oddly kind to this overall.
E
I’m still sitting with it, I’d probably go 3/5 mainly as there’s some lovely cinematic moments, pure Spielberg, but despite it being a clear cousin to the timeless Close Encounters, there’s definitely some tone/pacing issues that linger between really interesting and *meh* 🤣
also, what bothered me is that characters are on the phone..a lot. Too much. And that last section has all the right ideas but dragged weirdly.
I was really disappointed in this one mate.
There were these little moments that showcased the film that might’ve been and the actors all tried their best but I found this extremely amateurish in a lot of ways, it had all the hallmarks of Koepp’s worst traits as a screenwriter.
E
I’ve had this chat with others, and have come to the same ponder actually, it’s a 90s film isn’t it?
It’s setup both within tech and outside of it, I’d be interested to hear what the general public think though, I wonder if you’re a younger viewer than you might not have seen an approach like this, but it certainly feels a little out of time
https://criticalpopcorn.com/2026/06/14/disclosure-day-review-dir-steven-spielberg/
I am interested to see how this one drops off box office wise in its 2nd weekend, I think that will be telling.
No one I know that’s seen the film has really said much in the way of positive sentiments.
E
I’m not rushing into the cinema. Based on the trailer it didn’t leave me wanting more or in awe. I love Spielberg since I watched ET for the first time when I was 8. None of his movies are disposable but they do range from 3-5 stars for my taste. I will probably put this one alongside War of the Worlds, which was ok/good but not great. I don’t think it’s realistic going into his movies expecting him firing on all cylinders every time. 🤓
I’m always here for a Spielberg event pic mate but this one was a real letdown.
It committed the most cardinal of cinema sins of being just a bit boring! Something at the very least I was not expecting from it.
E
I definitely get this! Although War of the Worlds, on re-visitations, is a fun, cohesive movie in retrospect – I’m not sure this one has that – it has great moments, and very weird ones.
Agreed 100%. Worlds is a flawed film but at least it’s fun, has spectacle and flows nicely, this film doesn’t really do that in any significant way.
E
Despite some positive reviews in the press, the cinephile blogging community (at least those I’ve read) seems to agree on a profound sense of disappointment with this highly anticipated new Spielberg film. As you say, there was potential to revisit the UFO theme in this new millennium, to question the veracity of the images, to explore the ambiguities. There’s little ambiguity here, not the slightest hint of genuine mystery; even Kaminski’s grayish cinematography resists expressionism. Unless, as Agent Mulder might say, the film’s truth lies elsewhere.
Did you catch the film yourself mate?
I am genuinely shocked how good many of the mainstream reviews for this are honestly.
I don’t know if “professionals” saw way more into it than me but I can’t help shake the feeling that if this wasn’t a Spielberg film and a more unknown director made this, the film would be under the microscope in a much bigger way.
E
Yes I did. And I have the same feeling about the mainstream critics and some of their followers. The Spielberg brand is a powerful smokescreen.
It’s very bizarre, everyone I have spoken to about the film since last week has very similar sentiments, yet the film still sits above a 70 on Metacritic. I just can’t help but feel this will be one of 2026’s biggest letdowns for me.
E
Agree with this take. Well said. I think it’s 90% in the script. They skim past so many interesting opportunities but never really commit to any. Feels like a bad JJ Abrams vs a decent Spielberg.
Going to see Jaws on IMAX tonight to cleanse my palate.
Oh the script is really really bad! I read somewhere that it went through over 40 iterations and it made me think it needed another 40 to refine it.
There’s a great film here somewhere but this is not it.
Good luck with Jaws, that’s a wise choice!
E
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