Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 29
Critics Add Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' to 2026 Best-Films List as Debate Swirls
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 29

Critics Add Spielberg's 'Disclosure Day' to 2026 Best-Films List as Debate Swirls

2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 29

Summary

  • Manohla Dargis and Alissa Wilkinson included Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" in a midyear list of the best movies of 2026, recommending it for summer catch-up viewing.
  • The sci-fi thriller follows Josh O'Connor as an Edward Snowden-like leaker with alien files and Emily Blunt as a weathercaster who can suddenly speak languages, including one aliens understand.
  • Dargis praised Spielberg's relaxed command and the lead pairing, saying O'Connor's softness plays against Blunt's crispness even as online commenters have criticized some plot twists.
  • The pick lands in a year the article calls unusual for moviegoers, with Gen Z debut filmmakers scoring megahits while expected blockbusters such as "The Mandalorian and Grogu" have only performed modestly.

Insights

Spielberg's blockbuster has a divisive plot twist. Does this narrative gamble redefine the classic alien encounter story?
With real UAP files declassified, does Spielberg's new film reveal more truth than the government's own documents?