Spielberg’s Best in 20 Years? Disclosure Day Early Buzz Has Hollywood Reeling

Steven Spielberg is back to aliens and big feelings, and the first wave of reactions says he did not show up small. His new UFO thriller 'Disclosure Day' hits theaters June 12, and early viewers are tossing around phrases like 'best sci-fi from Spielberg in 20 years' while putting a halo over Emily Blunt for what some are calling an all-timer performance. Translation: this just jumped to the top of the summer must-see pile.

What the movie is

Spielberg returns to the lane he helped define with 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'E.T.', but this time he is leaning into paranoia and raw nerves. 'Disclosure Day' imagines a world where proof of alien life stops being a late-night argument and becomes... undeniable. The fallout is global, but the story stays human-sized:

• Premise: After evidence of extraterrestrial life can no longer be brushed off, society wobbles. In the middle of that, Emily Blunt plays a Kansas City TV meteorologist who has a terrifying on-air encounter. Josh O'Connor is a true believer dead set on forcing the world to face the truth.
• Release date: June 12
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Writer: David Koepp, reuniting with Spielberg after 'Jurassic Park', 'War of the Worlds', and 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' (a fun Hollywood- nerd detail if you track their collaborations)
• Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, Wyatt Russell, and Henry Lloyd-Hughes

What people are saying

Early press screenings sparked a flood of social media reactions (aggregated by Variety), and the consensus is surprisingly loud for a movie everyone is trying not to spoil. The big throughlines:

- Spielberg, apparently, still has the 'awe + adrenaline' combo. Multiple critics are calling this his best sci-fi since 'War of the Worlds', and a few go further, labeling it his strongest blockbuster in nearly two decades. One compared the rush to 'Raiders' but said the storytelling ambition feels like Spielberg's post-9/11 stretch.

- Emily Blunt is getting singled out again and again. Words like 'all-time' and 'astounding' keep popping up, with folks praising how grounded and emotionally precise she is as the story gets stranger and bigger.

- Tonally, expect a suspense machine with heart. Reactions talk about white-knuckle tension, practical-feeling visuals, and a final stretch that hits hard emotionally. Think 'Close Encounters' scale and 'Minority Report' tension, with the personal stakes dialed up.

- The craft flex is real. People are raving about Spielberg's shot compositions, the tactile look of the effects, and a score from John Williams that some are calling his best in years.

- The script ( from Koepp) is being described as a high-wire blend: chase-thriller propulsion, a central love story, and a mystery shape that nods toward conspiracy storytelling and big, mythic themes. One reaction even likened the vibe to a modern, feature-length 'Twilight Zone' trip.

"It's Spielberg's best film in 20 years."

That particular line has echoed across the early chatter. Another frequently repeated note: go in as blind as you can. A few lucky early birds say discovering the movie's turns in real time is a big part of the fun. One even admitted to tearing up at the end.

Bottom line

'Disclosure Day' is arriving with exactly the kind of momentum studios dream about: critics praising the scale and the feels, and singling out a star turn from Emily Blunt. Whether it ultimately sits beside Spielberg's all-timers is up to audiences next month, but from the first reactions, both the filmmaker and his lead are making a serious impression.