Spielberg returns to alien stories with Disclosure Day

Almost 50 years after Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Steven Spielberg returns to one of his favorite themes with Disclosure Day, a new story centered on humanity's encounter with an extraterrestrial civilization. The renowned director has long expressed his belief that life may exist elsewhere in the universe, EFE reported.

Disclosure Day, which opens in France on Wednesday and in the United States on Friday, is only the fourth film both written and directed by Spielberg, following The Fabelmans, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The latter already reflected his fascination with the possibility of contact between humans and beings from another world, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The film follows a whistleblower, played by Josh O'Connor, who attempts to reveal a state secret to the world: the existence of extraterrestrials.

A weather presenter, portrayed by Emily Blunt, becomes entangled in the revelation after experiencing a series of unexplained phenomena. Together, they find themselves at the center of a disclosure that challenges humanity's deepest beliefs.

“It is clear that Spielberg hopes there are possibilities beyond ourselves and beyond Earth,” filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau, a longtime collaborator of Spielberg, told AFP.

Now 79, Spielberg has often spoken about being deeply influenced by witnessing a meteor shower with his father during a summer night in his childhood.

The idea for Disclosure Day reportedly emerged after he read a 2017 article in The New York Times that revealed the existence of a secret Pentagon program tasked with investigating UFOs.

Expectations for the film are high because Spielberg is widely regarded as the filmmaker who has done the most to shape the public imagination surrounding extraterrestrials, according to journalist Nicolas Schaller, author of a book on Spielberg's career.

Director Clément Safra said Spielberg “revolutionized the science-fiction genre” and was among the first filmmakers to imagine extraterrestrials arriving in peace, particularly in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, where humanity ultimately establishes contact through music.

Writer Ian Nathan noted that Spielberg has already delivered two alien-themed classics — Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — as well as the blockbuster War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise.

According to Nathan, Spielberg's earlier alien films focused on ordinary people confronting extraordinary events, often with family relationships at their core. He believes Spielberg's more recent work reflects a greater awareness of political realities. War of the Worlds, for example, served as a metaphor for the impact of the September 11 attacks.

Disclosure Day revisits many of Spielberg's signature themes — childhood, family, tolerance, and wonder in the face of the unknown — while also addressing contemporary concerns such as the growing influence of powerful private corporations over people's lives.

The film arrives after the relatively disappointing commercial performances of The Fabelmans and West Side Story.

“It has been a long time since Spielberg was the king of the box office,” Safra said, noting that his last major commercial success was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Disclosure Day also marks Spielberg's first project conceived as a major blockbuster since Ready Player One.