Spielberg's back with attention-grabbing Disclosure Day'

Steven Spielberg is back with a summer blockbuster movie about aliens. While it may not be doing as well at the box office as the studio had hoped (only making about $81 million domestically after two weekends), Spielberg always makes high-quality movies that are usually enjoyable for the whole family. "Disclosure Day" is no different. The film opens in the middle of the action at a pro wrestling match. Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor) is in the audience, but he's paying no attention to the fight in the ring. He's concerned about a different, more deadly fight for his life. Before he knows what's happening a security officer from Wardex Corporation, a private company operating at the behest of the U.S. government, takes his backpack and leads him outside where they have taken his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) hostage. Wardex is run by Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), and he has an entire team of security personnel there to reclaim what belongs to him. Until that very day, Kellner was a cybersecurity specialist for Wardex. Now Scanlon will stop at nothing, and I do mean nothing, to get back what Kellner stole from him: proof of alien life that has been covered up by the government and Wardex for 79 years. Kellner wants to make full disclosure to the world all at once.&emsp;&emsp;Meanwhile, in Kansas City local TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is preparing for her day with her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell) when she has a strange encounter with a cardinal. Soon after the bird flies away Margaret starts speaking again. Only this time she's speaking Russian. She can also suddenly read people's minds. When the TV anchors later throw the broadcast to her for the weather on live TV that day she freezes and then starts speaking in gibberish. The only person on the planet who can understand her is Kellner. Their shared destiny is to meet and share proof of alien life with the world. It's nice to have Steven Spielberg back where he belongs directing a summer blockbuster. After all, it's a genre that he created in 1975 with the movie "Jaws." No one makes a blockbuster like Spielberg. You may or may not like the movie or its subject matter, but you can't credibly argue that the movie isn't well made. In addition to directing the film, the story of "Disclosure Day" is by Spielberg. He didn't write the script, but his idea was used as inspiration for the screenplay. Though I will say that the description of the story is a bit misleading. The movie is not about aliens. Aliens are involved, they're just not the main focus of the film. Distilled to its core, "Disclosure Day" is a chase movie. From the opening scene at the wrestling match until the very end, Wardex is chasing Kellner and Margaret, sometimes together, sometimes apart. The film is largely about humans and our fear of the unknown. That's why (or at least one reason why) Wardex wants to prevent disclosure of the proof Kellner stole, to protect the people of Earth from outright panic. The movie doesn't start out great. The scene at the wrestling match along with Kellner and Jane's escape are kind of hokey. The action seemed almost tongue-in-cheek, unserious. Luckily, the film quickly pivots to Margaret and picks up steam from there. Speaking of Margaret, Emily Blunt is not only the heart and soul of this movie, but her performance is also spectacular. No one else in the film comes close. In one scene she's having a panic attack that seems so real it's scary. Her character is at once calm and distraught. Blunt moves through her emotions with ease and grace. She brings her A game, as always. "Disclosure Day" is not a perfect movie, but it is entertaining and attention grabbing. Spielberg has a certain style he brings to every movie that always makes me smile. You don't have to like movies about aliens to enjoy this film, just enjoy it as a quality film made by one of the all-time great directors. Grade: A-Rated PG-13 for action/violence, some bloody images, and strong language. ••• Bradley Griffith is a local attorney and longtime film buff.