Spielberg returns to familiar alien territory in 'Disclosure Day'

Article excerpt

Steven Spielberg's latest thriller imagines a sprawling U.S. government conspiracy to conceal decades of alien visitation. The film revisits familiar territory from Spielberg's back catalog, the wide-eyed wonder of first contact, the shadowy workings of federal power. Yet despite its high-concept premise, the movie's pleasures lean decidedly retro, trading urgency for nostalgia. Spielberg remains a virtuoso of spectacle and emotion, but here those gifts feel aimed at audiences who've already walked this ground with him before.