Early reactions to Steven Spielberg’s new UFO thriller Disclosure Day are strongly positive, with journalists and critics who attended preview screenings calling it one of the director’s best films in years. The Universal release, starring Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor, centers on a story about what could happen if humanity received proof that it is not alone in the universe.
Many first responses praised the film’s scale, emotion, and sense of wonder. Several critics described it as a major return to Spielberg’s classic style, combining suspense, spectacle, and heartfelt storytelling. Emily Blunt’s performance drew especially enthusiastic praise, with some reactions calling her work one of the film’s standout elements and suggesting it could become awards-worthy despite the movie’s summer blockbuster release. The film’s score by John Williams was also highlighted as one of the strongest of his recent collaborations with Spielberg.
Commentators also singled out the film’s unusual tone, with one describing it as Spielberg’s weirdest movie in a complimentary sense and another calling it a blend of chase film, love story, mystery, and science-fiction wonder. Some reactions compared the movie’s emotional ambition to Spielberg’s post-9/11 work, while others said it felt like a return to the exhilarating energy of his most celebrated adventure films. Overall, the early consensus presents Disclosure Day as a dense, ambitious, and emotionally resonant sci-fi thriller.
The movie marks Spielberg’s first new feature since 2022’s The Fabelmans and also features Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, Wyatt Russell, and Eve Hewson. It is Spielberg’s latest entry in the UFO genre, leading fans to speculate that it could function as a spiritual or hidden sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 1977. Blunt has suggested that the new film answers some of the questions posed by that earlier classic.
Spielberg has spoken publicly about his interest in UFOs and the possibility of life beyond Earth. At South by Southwest last month, he said he believes we are probably not alone, and that the film reflects that suspicion. Universal also took the unusual step of having Spielberg narrate the final trailer, reinforcing the movie’s personal connection to the director’s long-standing fascination with the subject.
The film arrives amid continued public interest in government “disclosure” around unexplained aerial phenomena, including Pentagon releases of previously classified reports and footage. That backdrop may help fuel attention as the movie opens in theaters on June 12, with tickets already on sale. Based on the first reactions, Disclosure Day is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated and widely praised releases of the summer.
