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Written by: David Koepp (screenplay by), Steven Spielberg (story by)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
A cybersecurity whistleblower and a local meteorologist expose a 79-year government-backed extraterrestrial cover-up.
Verdict
The movie needs to offer more than an idea that aliens are real. It's comical when a character is shown video evidence for aliens, and she doesn't realize what they are, asking if it's children. They look like stereotypical aliens, it's not even a question. This movie is the pursuit to expose the truth, but there's no argument against the reveal to create tension or generate discussion. We get shady characters trying to stop the revelation, but we're not provided with any reason why, let alone a convincing one. Spielberg's involvement elevated my interest and that proves unfortunate. While the best moment is the disclosure of aliens, even that conclusion stretches a bit too far. Forty years ago this idea might have worked better. An alien conspiracy just doesn't seem that far fetched.
Skip it.
Review
This never provides any tension. There's no justification as to why aliens have or should be covered up. There are just black suits trying to stop the reveal. A movie is only as good as its villain, and the antagonist here is a hollow suit. It's inevitable the information will be distributed, it's just a matter of when and how many stunts we'll see before it happens.
This begins at a wrestling match with some kind of handoff. It's clear Danny (Josh O'Connor) has stolen information and intends to release it. What he has is the question. He used to work for a company, Wardex. Answers are cryptic initially. Danny tells his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson) that he's done all of this because people deserve to know the truth.
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| Eve Hewson, Josh O'Connor play Jane, Danny |
Next we're introduced to weather reporter Maggie (Emily Blunt) who wants to be an anchor. When a cardinal flies into her apartment she begins speaking Russian, though she doesn't realize it. When a police officer pulls her over en route to work, she somehow intuits everything happening in his life, conversations with his wife and stress over a new baby. How that's possible is the question. At the news studio she speaks Korean, and when she goes on air she speaks a guttural language before fainting. Operatives for Wardex recognize the language, and they're sending people to get her. Based on what we've seen, Wardex doesn't seem friendly.
Danny shows Jane a video to prove the validity of what he's stolen. She's clearly seeing a video of aliens. It's the stereotypical gray alien with a big head and large dark eyes. How her first or even second guess isn't aliens is comical. Danny happens to see Maggie's broadcast, and he understands what she said easily.
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| Emily Blunt, Wyatt Russell play Maggie, Jackson |
Wardex's CEO Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) tracks Danny through Jane using an alien artifact that allows him to project his image. I don't believe a CEO would be this hands on, especially when using this artifact nearly kills him several times. He determines their location and sends his agents. How these eagle eyed agents don't see Danny in the nearby field defies belief. There's no way they would miss him, but this goof allows Danny the chance to escape.
Part of the issue is that we don't know the stakes. Is it just revealing to the world that aliens exist? Why is Wardex willing to kill to keep the secret? Danny wants the truth revealed. It seems similar to Edward Snowden's reveal that the NSA tracks everyone through our devices. I understand why the government opposed Snowden and why Snowden was completely justified.
Maggie's newfound abilities lead her to Danny, sensing she must find him. They recognize each other, though they don't know how. She's able to break him out by appearing to everyone they encounter as a loved one and invoking their memories of that person.
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| Emily Blunt plays Maggie |
The plot rests on the fact that aliens are real. That might have been revolutionary forty years ago. Even the scene with Jane watching the video is ridiculous that her first guess wasn't aliens. Anyone would know what it is. This just isn't the big revelation it once was. The movie muddles in this chase that now includes Maggie. The culmination of the story is Danny and Maggie using her news studio to reveal the truth, commandeering the station and uploading the information. This is the best moment in the movie, and it's a shame the rest of the movie can't match the energy and intensity. The live feed quickly propagates across the world as nations watch the revelation of aliens.
I was disappointed this didn't end with the reporter watching and reacting to the footage in real time. Her final thought, "You are not alone." is a great way to end this, but the movie doesn't stop there. The movie failed to convince me that wasn't the best place to end this movie.
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| Title Card |
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