Steven Spielberg's new film, Disclosure Day, tackles a long-standing dilemma: if aliens exist, should the public be informed? The movie stars Josh O'Connor as a whistleblower determined to reveal a vast cover-up about extraterrestrial life, alongside Emily Blunt as a weather reporter. It is Spielberg's fourth alien-themed film, following Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, and War of the Worlds, but is the first directly inspired by news headlines.
Spielberg conceived the story after reading the New York Times' 2017 reporting on a secret Pentagon UAP programme, which included videos from fighter jets of close encounters. The film blends wonder and terror with a 1970s political thriller style, described as 'ET meets The Post'. Screenwriter David Koepp cited the 1975 thriller Three Days of the Condor as a touchstone.
The plot centres on a shadowy government contractor, Wardex, led by Colin Firth's character Noah Scanlon, who possesses advanced mind-control technology. The device allows users to project holograms and control others' bodies, raising questions about secrecy in spycraft and warfare. The film explores themes of transparency, misinformation, and technology abuse, set against a fictional geopolitical crisis.
Spielberg's film arrives amid real-world discussions about alien disclosure. In February, former President Barack Obama suggested aliens were real on a podcast, while Donald Trump later promised to release government information on the search for alien life. The movie asks whether humanity is ready for such a revelation, echoing concerns from science fiction classics like The War of the Worlds and Contact.
