“Disclosure Day” review: Steven Spielberg delivers a summer blockbuster

If you’ve ever stepped off an attraction wishing you could experience its story for two more hours, “Disclosure Day” may be your kind of movie. Steven Spielberg’s latest sci-fi adventure blends awe, suspense, humor, and heart into a crowd-pleasing blockbuster that captures the same sense of wonder that has inspired some of the most beloved theme park experiences of all time.

A summer blockbuster with wonder, suspense, and heart

Steven Spielberg has done it again. “Disclosure Day” feels destined to join the ranks of the director’s beloved sci-fi classics.

Part action thriller, part mystery, and sprinkled with just enough humor, “Disclosure Day” balances large-scale spectacle with an emotional core that keeps the story grounded.

The film primarily follows Daniel (Josh O’Connor) and Margaret (Emily Blunt) as they evade an organization withholding proof of extraterrestrial life. Armed with alien technology and newfound abilities, the pair races to reveal the truth to the world before it’s too late.

At times, the film evokes the sense of wonder found in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” with a touch of the warmth and compassion that defined “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial—a feeling that makes the E.T. attraction at Universal Studios Florida a classic. The extraterrestrials are awe-inspiring, mysterious, and often unsettling, yet Spielberg invites audiences to empathize with them rather than fear them.

The story also keeps audiences guessing. Just when it seems the plot is settling into familiar territory, it shifts direction, delivering surprises and escalating tension. It was difficult to predict what would happen next throughout the story, and felt like a true roller coaster – the way a summer blockbuster should.

John Williams’ score supports the film

The score by John Williams effectively heightens the film’s emotional beats and moments of suspense. It was great, but it didn’t seem particularly remarkable. I couldn’t hum any tunes from it. It didn’t quite deliver the instantly recognizable melodies that have defined some of Williams’ most iconic collaborations with Spielberg. After all, theme park fans have grown accustomed to music by John Williams wafting over the air of both Disney and Universal theme parks over the years.

“Disclosure Day” is rated PG-13 for intense action sequences, many tense situations younger viewers may find frightening, some bloody images, and strong language. The film runs 2 hours and 25 minutes, and there are no post-credits scenes.