Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo Written by: David Koepp and Steven Spielberg Directed by: Steven Spielberg
It feels good to anticipate a summer movie. To think about what it could be, what it might deliver, how it might make you feel. Sometimes that lead up is worth the price of admission alone.
Coming into summer 2026, Disclosure Day was my most anticipated movie. I wanted that old Spielberg summer blockbuster feeling. Even just a small taste of the rush Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, or War of the Worlds delivered would suffice.
Of course, the problem with anticipation is it brings along its buddy expectations—and that can be hard for any movie to live up to. So how does Disclosure Day fare against my heightened anticipation/expectations?
I’m happy to report the movie doesn’t disappoint. There are some scenes and sequences in this that really bring the summer movie juice (something interesting AND exciting is happening AND we’re having fun watching it). Not a whole lot of movies have delivered this in recent years. Spielberg makes it look easy.
Best of all, the story and action are built on top of decent characters and even better actors. I like the cast almost all around here, especially the leads. Josh O’ Connor continues to impress, bringing a sincerity to the role that could have fallen flat in lesser hands. Then there’s Emily Blunt, who truly wows here.
Playing a character—not unlike Inde Navarrette’s in Obsession—who’s mind and body are suddenly hijacked from her (but in a much kinder way than in Obsession), Blunt makes us believe in everything that’s happening. The movie wouldn’t work without her and I would love to see her score an Oscar nod for her work (she’s that good).
There’s also a surprisingly great performance from actress named Courtney Grace, who only appears for a few minutes at the end of the movie and somehow manages to leave a lingering impression.
Unfortunately, not every character is as strong. Notably, Colin Firth and his team of baddies are set up well but ultimately end of doing a lot—A LOT—of running in place. The motivations of Firth’s character remain slippery and, as the movie heads into the third act, that takes its toll.
Likewise, the story, which sets up different threads in a very Close Encounters of the Third Kind-esque fashion, doesn’t quite gel together. Not everything connects in a way that is logical and satisfying, and, as a result, you’re left trying to fill in the gaps rather than feeling the weight of the conclusion.
But, alas, I can’t complain too much about high-concept summer movie based on an original (flaws and all) screenplay that delivers some grade-A entertainment. If it didn’t leave me quite with the Spielberg high I was hoping for, well, that’s only because my anticipation was even higher.
I loved it ❤️