Here’s my review of Disclosure Day, which I was sadly NOT pleasantly surprised by.
I’m not angry about that, mind you, because I didn’t really expect to be. I am, however, a bit wistful to see such an underwhelming serving of 90s sci-fi tropes very possibly act as Steven Spielberg’s last hurrah. Given the current rather dire realities of Hollywood economics, it very well might be.
There are all kinds of spoilers here, but at the same time there aren’t. Why? Because there’s nothing shocking or surprising whatsoever in this film, and there’s really nothing in the film you couldn’t glean from the trailers.
I guess the only thing that really surprised me is how cheap and basic-cable TV it all looks and feels. There’s nothing especially cinematic about the film, and surprisingly, nothing particularly Spielbergian.
Actually, I was surprised by how much of the SFX work looks very, very much like AI. That might explain a lot of complaints folks are having about its cheapness and tawdriness. All that leads me to wonder where exactly the $115M budget went. It certainly didn’t seem to go up on screen.
Anyhow, I go into the film’s basic plot, its stock characters, its glaring macguffin, the glaring lack of faith-shattering ontological shock, and the many riffs lifted straight from Taken and Mysterious Skin.
Have at it: I promise you’ll have a lot more fun watching this review than you’d ever have watching Disclosure Day itself.
If you're looking for a more
synchromystic take on the film, click here.
UPDATE: This also occurred to me today.
Aside from being a dismal, joyless, pedantic slog, Disclosure Day is also a blatant rewrite of the X-Files' Anasazi/Blessing Way/Paperclip storyline. • Top secret UFO digital files are stolen • Rebellious gov't agent seeks to expose the alien conspiracy • His (ginger) partner is an abductee (with psychic powers) • The pair flee and are relentlessly pursued by paramilitary hit squads in black SUVs • Their pursuers are led by a mysterious Englishman who works for a covert corporation scheming to prevent disclosure The difference being X-Files had appealing and interesting characters, youthful zest, and the power of the zeitgeist.
