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The sci-fi master behind E.T. and Close Encounters returns with Disclosure Day

16 0
09.06.2026

Back in the 1980s, Steven Spielberg movies had a certain distinct feel to them. They contained a healthy dose of action in tightly crafted stories with clear delineations between the good guys and bad guys. Through groundbreaking visual effects and bold ideas, there was also a sense of spectacle to his movies that made them feel like “events” before Hollywood co-opted the term for marketing. Finally, and most importantly, he instilled in them a sense of curiosity and wonder that still makes us nostalgic.

Disclosure Day isn’t just a Steven Spielberg movie — it's that kind of Spielberg movie. Heading into it, I personally was expecting a War of the Worlds-type feel. I really like that movie, but it’s more of a straightforward action-thriller, without the idealistic elements seen in works like E.T. Instead, Disclosure Day not only hooked me with its thriller aspect, but it made me feel a bit more sentimental as well, like the Spielberg movies I watched when I was a kid.

In Disclosure Day, cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) steals information from the corporation Wardex detailing a nearly 80-year-old government conspiracy to cover up the existence of alien visitations on Earth. Throughout the movie, Kellner is on the run from agents trying to retrieve what he stole, while he is guided by Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), a former member of the conspiracy who is now the leading advocate for disclosing information about aliens to the general public. Meanwhile, Kansas City meteorologist........

© Polygon