HOLLYWOOD—The amount of hype and people who were just in a tizzy about Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi flick “Disclosure Day” made it felt like a big-event movie was happening. Well, those expectations fall short and not in the best way. “Disclosure Day” is not going to deliver the satisfying result that you hope for.

Look, it is no secret the movie is about the notion of aliens and rather we are alone. There are those out in the world who believe there is some form of extraterrestrial life outside of planet Earth. Then there are those who absolutely believe there is no possibility at all. I might be dating myself, but I have to state it. I’ve never seen “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” I have never seen “E.T.” I know, I know as a film buff this is an absolute travesty and at some point, in my life, I will make time to see these movies. Oh, and I do believe some form of alien life form exists in this world.

However, I am a fan of Spielberg and have seen a vast majority of his other movies, iconic ones to say the least, so watching “Disclosure Day” it felt a bit flat and underwhelming. Why? It feels like you’re watching too movies. The first half feels like this elongated chase sequence where a major secret is under wraps. The second half we start to see that secret be unwrapped which delivers some satisfying moments especially the big climax at the end, but as a viewer I truly wanted more.

The movie follows whistleblower, Dr. Daniel Keller (Josh O’Connor), who is a cybersecurity expert who steals key information about alien life from Wardex Corporation. When the audience first meets Daniel, he’s already on edge after his girlfriend, Jane (Eve Hewson), has been kidnapped by Wardex courtesy of its boss Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth). Is Firth villainy enough for my liking? Not really, he’s the big bad, but how the narrative plays out he seems conflicted or adhering to a higher power.

Eve and Noah have a bond courtesy of a special device Scanlon uses to track and communicate with people even if they are very far away. That is indeed a highlight of the movie if we are going to be honest. I found myself more intrigued to find out that the American government in the movie was testing and experimenting with alien life. The audience gets a taste of it and that’s it. The problem is I wanted more and what I witnessed immediately made me sympathize with the extraterrestrial life forms. I know, call me human.

However, the biggest draw for “Disclosure Day” has to be Emily Blunt as meteorologist/journalist Margaret Fairchild whose days starts odd with a bird appearing in her apartment before she prepares for work. She goes live on TV where she starts to speak an unknown language that goes viral. Scanlon sees that and realizes it’s the extraterrestrial’s language. Colman Domingo is solid as an eccentric former ally, Hugo Wakefield, who seems to embrace Daniel and Margaret’s plight, as he attempts to get them to recall a traumatic experience from their childhood that has a bigger purpose to what is happening.

However, Blunt instills the emotional connection with the aliens for the audience, and she is a wonder to watch on the screen; she is the heart of the movie. We even have that nifty element of Margaret having physic abilities where she can communicate with others and make them do as she pleases hmm, that sounds like Professor X from the “X-Men” comic book.

This is where “Disclosure Day” crafts some interesting chase sequences, one involving vehicle and another involving vehicles and a fast-moving train. However, those sequences are not enough to maintain one’s attention. I found myself bored at times watching this movie where I checked out at times. I wanted to be fully invested, but the narrative lost me because it didn’t focus solely on a particular bullet point. Spielberg is known for crafting captivating stories, but this one by David Koepp underwhelms.

“Disclosure Day” would have really excelled if it leaned into its title and honed-in on that narrative of not just the secret of aliens existing, but what the government has been doing this entire time that they have known about the existence of aliens. Lean into the title, explore it, dissect it and deliver those details to the viewer in a way that captures their attention and doesn’t let go of it.

Written By LaDale Anderson