"Disclosure Day": why has Steven Spielberg's new film already been named the event of the year?
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- "Disclosure Day": why has Steven Spielberg's new film already been named the event of the year?
Almost 50 years ago, director Steven Spielberg made "Close Encounters of the Third Degree," a film that forever changed Hollywood's perception of aliens. Now the director returns to the topic of extraterrestrial life. His new painting, "Disclosure Day," tells the story of a world on the verge of major discovery in human history.: What happens if evidence of the existence of aliens really becomes public knowledge? Even before the premiere, the film became one of the most discussed projects of 2026. Critics call it Spielberg's return to his best form, and the director himself admits that this project grew out of the issues that worry him all his life. About how the new sci-fi blockbuster turned out, see the Izvestia article.
Global Conspiracy Theory: what "Disclosure Day" tells us
The plot centers on cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor), who gets access to information confirming that the government and the private corporation WARDEX have been hiding evidence of contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations for decades. After trying to reveal the truth to the world, he becomes the target of powerful forces seeking to keep the secret at all costs.
In parallel, the story of the telemeteorologist Margaret Fairchild, played by Emily Blunt, is developing. After a mysterious encounter with an unexplained phenomenon, a woman begins to experience strange visions and abilities, gradually realizing that her fate is closely linked to Daniel and the approaching revelation of the truth.
How the idea of the film "Disclosure Day" was born
According to the Associated Press, the film combines elements of a conspiracy thriller, adventure cinema and emotional science fiction, and at the center of the story is not so much an alien invasion as humanity's reaction to the truth that can change the whole world.
Getting back to your favorite topic: what did Spielberg himself say about the film?
For Spielberg, the topic of extraterrestrial life has never been just a genre device. In an interview with the Associated Press, the director admitted that over the decades his interest in the existence of aliens has only intensified.
Steven Spielberg, film director
I've believed in this since I made the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Degree" 50 years ago. But I have always said that until I see an unidentified flying object with my own eyes, I will not categorically assert that life has flown to us from another world. But I've changed my mind: now I'm ready to reconsider my position because of the irrefutable circumstantial evidence.
At the same time, Spielberg emphasizes that "Disclosure Day" is not so much science fiction for him as a story about human relationships and empathy. According to him, the film is based on the question of whether realizing that there are other lives in the universe will make humanity more compassionate.
In a conversation with the Rotten Tomatoes portal, the director also noted that he did not want to disclose too many plot details in advance. Spielberg noted that this film is an experience. He expressed the hope that the audience would be able to trust and let the story "take them with it."
After starting work on "Disclosure Day," Spielberg promptly contacted David Koepp, who acted as a screenwriter. When he asked the director about the plans, he replied that the film would be about aliens again, "but this time in a different way."
David Koepp, screenwriter
There was a period when, in my opinion, he reread the script every day for a year. We lived in different time zones, and I'd wake up to 30-35 messages telling me what he'd just read in the script. When a project manager is so passionate about his work, it infects everyone around him. You're giving it your all.
"The Unglamorous hero": what did the actors say about the shooting?
Josh O'Connor, who played one of the main roles in the film, admitted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine that he had never imagined himself to be the star of a large-scale sci-fi blockbuster.
Josh O'Connor, actor
I don't know if I've ever enjoyed such action scenes. Sometimes I like movies like this, but I never imagined that I would star in something like this. But it was a lot of fun, like jumping on a moving train: it turns out. That's cool!
Describing his character, O'Connor called Daniel Kellner an "unglamorous hero." At the same time, he clarified that the plans included the creation of an ordinary person — a guy who finds himself in unusual circumstances.
Emily Blunt, preparing for the role of Margaret Fairchild, studied the real evidence of people who claimed to have encountered unidentified phenomena. According to the actress, it was the heroine's humanity that made this project special.
"Spielberg's best film in 20 years": what critics say
The first reviews from critics were mostly enthusiastic. Variety magazine reported after the premiere that many reviewers called the picture Spielberg's best work in the last 20 years.
Deadline reviewer Pete Hammond described the film as "a masterful 1970s-inspired thriller." He noted that the director managed to combine the tension of conspiracy cinema with a signature sense of wonder.
The Atlantic noted that the director created a story in which science fiction becomes a way of talking about trust, fear and social division, and Rolling Stone magazine, in turn, wrote that the film revisits one of the main themes in Spielberg's work — the hope that meeting the unknown can make people better.
David Fir, columnist
Spielberg believes that we are not the only game in the universe. But he also believes that our best qualities have not gone away and that cinema still has the power to amaze the imagination and open the hearts. This idea may seem old-fashioned to some, but it doesn't seem alien at all.
However, not all critics were unanimous. The BBC TV channel pointed out that some plot twists look overly ambitious, but even skeptical reviewers admitted that the film reminds viewers why Spielberg remains one of the main directors of our time.
More than an alien movie
Throughout his career, Spielberg repeatedly returned to the issue of contact with the unknown — from "Close encounters of the third degree" to "Alien". However, "Disclosure Day" differs from his previous works in that the main object of research is not the aliens themselves, but the reaction of society to their existence.
In an era when society is confronted with distrust of institutions, conspiracy theories, and information overload, the question of how humanity will respond to the absolute truth is of particular importance. That is why many critics believe that "Disclosure Day" is not just a summer blockbuster, but one of Spielberg's most personal and relevant works of recent years.
On May 29, Medialogia presented the top 30 Russian series ratings for April 2026. The series "Molodezhka" became the leader (2057 points). For the first time since January, the rating was topped by a Russian project. The top five also included the TV series "Boys" (The Boys, 2013 points), "Magic Battle" (1839 points), "Daddy's Daughters" (1788 points) and "Univer" (1682 points).
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
