Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day divides critics – but Emily Blunt shines
By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film Disclosure Day has divided critics with many able to agree on one thing – Emily Blunt’s “stellar” performance.
The 79-year old filmmaker, known for Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park, was behind the sci-fi film which follows a meteorologist, played by Emily Blunt, as she experiences a mysterious alien encounter during a live broadcast.
The conspiracy thriller also stars Pride And Prejudice actor Colin Firth, Euphoria’s Colman Doming and Challengers actor Josh O’Connor, who plays a tech whiz whistleblower who attempts to expose classified government files about extra-terrestrial life to the public.
Hailed as being one of the most influential directors in Hollywood, Spielberg’s latest offering was met with mixed reviews.
The Telegraph gave the film two stars, saying that despite being shot and staged with Spielberg’s “signature elegance” the film’s tone is “awkward” and “woolly”.
The Guardian on the other hand gave it four out of five stars and praised Blunt for her “really funny and hyperactive star performance”.
The review added: “Disclosure Day is never anything other than entertaining and grade-A fun; rare enough in the movies or anywhere else, rocketing along with barnstorming set-pieces, exhilarating chases, funny lines and a career-topper of a performance from Blunt who may yet be morphing into a female version of Tom Hanks.”
The Independent also gave the film four stars, saying the director was returning to his past “with fresh eyes”.
The review continued: “While Disclosure Day has too many thoughts in its head, perhaps, to feel like one of those true, streamlined Spielberg classics, the filmmaker has hardly lost his touch for cinematic invention.”
The reviews, however, swing back on the lower end of the scale, with The Times giving it two out of five stars claiming there is “nothing original” about the film.
The paper said that although the film’s first hour started off well, with “stellar performances”, especially from Blunt, the film “evolves into a grossly sanctimonious version of Men In Black (also a Spielberg production), before collapsing into cliches, anti-climax and the kind of saccharine, preachy and emetic sentiment that would make even Hallmark wince”.
It adds: “It’s just Spielberg badly rehashed, poorly reheated, lukewarm and with extra treacle.”
The BBC also gave the film two out of five stars, describing it as not “the worst film of the year, but it may well be the most disappointing”.
Meanwhile the Financial Times gave the film three out of five stars claiming that the script is “muddled” and “plot devices close to nonsensical” with the film held together by Blunt’s performance “even while playing its wackiest feature”.
Disclosure Day is out in cinemas on June 10th.