Movie Review: Disclosure Day
I really wanted to like Disclosure Day. On paper, it sounded like the kind of film that should have worked. A big concept, a strong cast, Steven Spielberg behind the camera, and the possibility that this could be one of his final collaborations with John Williams. That should have been enough to create something memorable, emotional and full of cinematic wonder. Instead, I found it stupid, boring, cringey and deeply disappointing.
One of the biggest letdowns was the music. If this really is likely to be one of the last Spielberg and Williams collaborations, then it is baffling how little impact the score has. Their partnership has produced some of the most recognisable and powerful music in cinema history, yet here the music felt virtually non-existent. There were no grand emotional moments, no stirring themes, no sense of awe. For a film dealing with something as huge as disclosure, the soundtrack should have helped elevate the story. Instead, it barely registered.
The plot is where the film really falls apart. It is poor, unbelievable and often just plain silly. The central idea should have created tension and drama, but the way the characters behave makes it almost impossible to take seriously. I kept finding myself pulled out of the film because I simply did not believe anyone would react the way these people do. Their decisions feel forced, their emotional responses feel unnatural, and the whole thing starts to feel more like a bad first draft than a polished Spielberg movie.
The dialogue and tone do not help either. There are moments that are clearly meant to feel profound or dramatic, but they come across as cringey instead. Rather than being swept up in the mystery or importance of the situation, I spent most of the runtime feeling detached from it. For a film built around a supposedly world-changing event, it somehow manages to feel small, flat and strangely lifeless.
The CGI was another disappointment. There are scenes where the effects just do not hold up, which is surprising given the scale of the production. Bad CGI can sometimes be forgiven if the story and characters are strong enough, but here it only adds to the problem. When the plot is already unbelievable, weak visuals make it even harder to stay invested.
The ending was also incredibly lame. After sitting through a film that already felt slow and underwhelming, I was hoping the conclusion might at least deliver something powerful or unexpected. Instead, it fizzles out. It does not feel satisfying, emotional or clever. It just feels like the film runs out of ideas and stops.
The only real positive for me was Emily Blunt. She gives a pretty good performance and does what she can with the material. She brings some credibility and emotional weight to a film that otherwise badly lacks both. Josh O’Connor, however, did very little for me. He was not terrible, but he was not especially memorable either. I also found it hard not to see him as a variation of Prince Charles from The Crown, which made his performance feel distracting rather than compelling.
Overall, Disclosure Day was a huge disappointment. With Spielberg, Williams, Emily Blunt and a concept this big, it should have been something special. Instead, it is dull, unbelievable, awkward and surprisingly forgettable. For me, it was not just a missed opportunity. It was a genuinely poor film.
4/10
