Review: 'Disclosure Day' proves Steven Spielberg still creates wonder, even if it doesn't stick

13 Jun 2026, 01:46 by John Clyde ksl contributor · KSL.com

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Steven Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' offers visual wonder but lacks narrative cohesion.
Emily Blunt delivers a standout performance adding emotional depth to the film.
Despite its engaging mystery, the film's resolution disappoints, leaving potential unfulfilled.

SALT LAKE CITY — I grew up on Steven Spielberg movies. Like a lot of kids from my generation, I loved "Indiana Jones." I watched "E.T." until the VHS practically wore out. I knew the theme from "Jaws" long before I ever saw the movie. Then I saw the movie and watched it again. And again. And again. And … You get the idea.

But it was "Jurassic Park" that changed everything for me.

I still remember sitting in the theater with my mom and feeling completely transported. I'd never seen anything like it. The dinosaurs looked real. The action was thrilling. The sense of wonder was overwhelming. When the movie ended, I had one question: Who made this?

My dad informed me that the same guy behind "Jurassic Park" had also directed "Indiana Jones," "Jaws" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

My young brain could barely process that information: One person made all of those movies?

I've been a Spielberg guy ever since.

Do I love every Spielberg movie? Not even close.

But whenever he releases something new, I'm interested. At the very least, I know I'm probably going to see something worth talking about.

That's especially true when Spielberg returns to science fiction.

Now we have "Disclosure Day," an original sci-fi mystery featuring an impressive cast, big ideas and the kind of large-scale filmmaking that feels increasingly rare in today's franchise-dominated landscape.

The good news is that I liked it. The bad news is that I think I wanted to love it.

A mystery best experienced cold

The less you know about "Disclosure Day," the better.

The film follows several seemingly unrelated individuals who find themselves connected by a series of mysterious events that gradually reveal a much larger puzzle.

Questions begin piling up almost immediately: Why are these people connected? What exactly is happening? Who can be trusted? And where is all of this heading?

The movie smartly doles out answers in small pieces, keeping audiences engaged as the mystery unfolds.

And that's about all I'm willing to say.

Part of the fun is discovering the story as it reveals itself, and Spielberg clearly wants audiences to experience that journey with as little prior knowledge as possible.

Trust me on this one. Go in cold.

Emily Blunt steals the movie

The cast is excellent across the board. There is one performance that didn't quite work for me, but it would be unfair to single anyone out because the vast majority of the cast delivers terrific work. Leading the charge is Emily Blunt.

Blunt has quietly become one of the most dependable actors working today. Whether she's battling aliens in "A Quiet Place," navigating fashion chaos in "The Devil Wears Prada" or carrying emotional dramas, she always seems to bring authenticity to her performances.

She does it again here.

Her character carries much of the movie's emotional weight, and Blunt handles it beautifully. She brings vulnerability, humor, fear and determination in equal measure. More than anyone else in the film, she made me care about what was happening.

Josh O'Connor also continues his impressive rise with another strong performance. He's quickly becoming one of those actors who can disappear into almost any role.

Colman Domingo, meanwhile, nearly steals every scene he's in.

I've become convinced that Domingo could walk into a movie about paint drying and somehow become the most interesting part of it. His presence is magnetic.

And while Colin Firth doesn't get as much material as some of the other cast members, he's reliably solid and adds gravitas whenever he appears.

Spielberg still knows how to create movie magic

Even when Spielberg isn't operating at his absolute peak, there's something special about watching one of his movies — the man understands spectacle. More importantly, he understands wonder.

"Disclosure Day" looks fantastic.

The visuals are gorgeous. The scope feels massive. The film embraces the kind of old-school blockbuster filmmaking that seems increasingly rare.

This is a movie that feels designed for theaters. Not streaming. Not your phone. Not half-watching while scrolling social media. A theater.

The imagery is often stunning, and Spielberg consistently finds ways to make familiar ideas feel exciting simply through presentation.

There were multiple moments where I found myself leaning forward in my seat just to take everything in. It's a reminder that few filmmakers understand visual storytelling quite like Spielberg.

The mystery works, until it doesn't

For roughly two-thirds of its runtime, "Disclosure Day" had me completely hooked.

The mystery is compelling, the pacing moves well and the intrigue keeps building. I genuinely wanted answers.

Then the movie takes a turn and unfortunately, that's where things started to unravel for me.

I can't get specific without venturing deep into spoiler territory. But I can say this: the shift fundamentally changes the film's momentum.

The pacing slows considerably and the mystery becomes less interesting. That sense of intrigue that had been driving the story begins to fade.

What surprised me most is that the issue isn't rooted in visual execution or performances.

It's a storytelling problem. That's what makes it so frustrating. When one of the greatest storytellers in movie history is behind the camera, I expect the narrative to stick the landing.

Instead, it feels like the movie struggles to resolve the fascinating questions it spent so much time posing. The result is a finale that left me disappointed.

What parents should know

"Disclosure Day" is rated PG-13. There are some intense sequences, moments of peril and suspenseful situations throughout.

The film deals with some mature themes and contains action that may be too intense for younger children, but older teens who enjoy science fiction should be fine. Parents should be aware that much of the film's tension comes from mystery and uncertainty rather than outright violence.

Conclusion

I liked "Disclosure Day." The performances are excellent, the mystery is engaging and the visuals are fantastic. It's refreshing to see a big-budget original science-fiction movie from a filmmaker who still knows how to create cinematic wonder.

But I can't shake the feeling that it should have been better. It feels like Spielberg is building toward something truly special, but loses its footing.

That doesn't make "Disclosure Day" a bad movie. It's entertaining, ambitious and worth seeing, especially for science-fiction fans. But it left too much on the table. And that's almost more frustrating than if it had failed completely.

Because for a while, it looked like Spielberg might have another classic on his hands. Instead, we get a good movie that occasionally flirts with greatness but never quite gets there.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.