IR Film Review: DISCLOSURE DAY [Universal]
Steven Spielberg’s original concepts are pretty good and with a writer like David Koepp who did "Jurassic Park" making something like "Disclosure Day" should be an exceptional run. And while this feels like a more complete Spielberg film than many recent forays, it suffers from a lot of plot holes that take away from its overall power. There are some great moments of wonder for sure but it is almost like not enough time was spent on the script. There are also set pieces that are bridges but don’t really expound on the character structure to move the plot. One good example is a train sequence which is practical and cost a lot of money. It is cool but really doesn’t really need to be there. Granted the immediate aftermath and a great scene from Emily Blunt really solidifies her character and perhaps her character needed that close call to realize that. However a lot of the movie does that which takes away from its completeness. The movie is set in the Midwest specifically Kansas City which I do understand because Spielberg wants to be inclusive. Blunt is great using what she can to go on but Spielberg is a fantastic director of actors which can overcome many a story problem. Blunt is fantastic in this either way because she feels more vulnerable than usual. This subject matter also should be a no brainer. But one never feels awe really like "Close Encounters".
The Disclosure Day" scenario seemed like something much different in the trailer so there almost was a different expectation of what it could possibly be. That could just be the fault of marketing. Josh O’Connor plays the other half of the puzzle. Blunt’s character is almost like the gatekeeper and he is the Keymaster (to use a "Ghostbusters" parlance). They both understand different aspects which comes together towards the end. There is also supposed to be a big war looming but we never get a sense of that scale either. Spielberg films usually have more of that maybe he is trying to use more practical. But you never really get that full mag reveal. This is a scenario when one misses the matte paintings that were utterly wide (again think "Close Encounters") The use of animals make sense but the CG doesn’t seem fully up to snuff. There is just something misused and mostly it has to do with plot. Eve Hewson (who is Bono’s daughter --and having talked to her for a smaller film last year) is great as O’Connor’s paramour whom he has to help at the beginning of the movie. Her awe and especially a certain control factor makes her the most believable character in the movie (though Blunt is obviously better and more central). Blunt's American accent is also dead on which really helps.
Colin Firth is also quite good and as his mirror, bemused in a way, is Colman Domingo who is also exceptional. Again the acting (one scene between Hewson and Firth in a cabin optimizing alien tech) is the closest Spielberg gets to what the film should be. But the film trying to make a grand gesture falters at the end because it forgets what people might really want to see. Maybe it is enough for most...and there is a lot of cool stuff here but the gaps in motivation and plot 9or maybe just a lot of soft spots) point to a weak structure underneath. With "War of The World" or "Jurassic" there was a substrata underneath usually because of a book basis. And with "E.T." or "Hook" a lot of time was probably spent with the script. "Disclosure Day", despite its pedigree, maybe was rushed because there was a spot in the schedule (and the players were available) but it could be any number of factors. The film just feels less complete than maybe it should have been. Granted there is a lot of expectation but we expect a lot do our idols to know what they are capable of especially in knowing how to make a great movie about a subject so close to their heart. B-
By Tim Wassberg
