The father of the summer blockbuster returns to a genre that gave birth to some of his biggest movies. Steven Spielberg jumps back into the cinematic world of science-fiction with “Disclosure Day”. It’s the latest sci-fi venture from the filmmaker who gave us “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, “Minority Report”, “War of the Worlds”, and so on. His latest is another ambitious swing. But it’s not one that will leave the same lasting impression as his other films.

“Disclosure Day” sees Spielberg reteaming with his frequent collaborator, screenwriter David Koepp. Together they tap into Spielberg’s long held fascination with the unexplained. And high on his list of the unexplained is the simple question – are we alone in the universe? That question drives “Disclosure Day” while also asking how much does the government know and how long have they been keeping it from us?

That’s more than enough for a compelling movie, especially with Steven Spielberg at the helm. We certainly get glimmers of that potential in “Disclosure Day”. When at its best, it plays like an extended conspiracy episode of “The X-Files”. At its worst, it’s a sluggishly delivered thriller that struggles to maintain any real suspense and that isn’t nearly as heady as it aims to be. More frustratingly, after an overly long buildup, it hits us with an ending that lands with a surprisingly uninspired thud.

That said, “Disclosure Day” has its strengths, with one of them being the cast. Josh O‘Connor plays Daniel Kellner, a cybersecurity expert turned whistleblower who steals long hidden classified information regarding alien life from a secret deep-state contractor called the Wardex Corporation. As a former employee of Wardex, Daniel also swiped a mysterious piece of alien technology that immediately puts him in the crosshairs of the company’s ruthless CEO, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Danial is forced to go on the run, along with his former girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) who Noah has targeted.

Meanwhile in Kansas City, a local TV weather woman named Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), begins having unexplainable episodes. She suddenly has strange premonitions and begins speaking in languages she doesn’t know. It comes to a head after she uncontrollably begins speaking in an otherworldly tongue while live on the air. Her actions stuns her colleagues and worries her slub of a boyfriend, Jackson (Wyatt Russell). It also gets the attention of Noah who is determined to bring her in.

Both Daniel and Margaret find an ally in Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), a Wardex defector who now leads an underground ‘truth movement’. Hugo knows the information that Wardex is hiding on behalf of the U.S. government, and he knows Daniel and Margaret are the keys. Hugo is ready to disclose it to the world, but Noah doesn’t think people are ready. And with the planet on the brink of World War III, Nosh is willing to do anything in his power to keep the truth from getting out.

The battle between disclosing the truth and protecting it is the conflict at the heart of “Disclosure Day”. Meanwhile the depths of that truth is slowly drip-fed to us over time. It’s intriguing at first but maddening later on. Essentially, Spielberg drags things out, leading to several notable frustrations – scenes lasting longer than necessary, conversations where nothing seems to be said, and too many instances of characters stuck in states of confusion. This makes the already lengthy 145 minutes feel even longer.

Still, it’s Spielberg so there is some expert craftsmanship on display. And the cast is top-to-bottom strong. Also, those X-Files moments are pretty enticing. But while the premise and the pieces are there, getting from point to point can be a drag. What action there is can be thrilling, but every bit of it is shown in the trailer. And the finish seems like a well-intended miss. There is a gutsier ending out there that could have really made things interesting. Instead, Spielberg goes a route that feels safe and even a bit lazy.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS