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Neal Justin: Where 'Disclosure Day' ranks among Steven Spielberg's sci-fi films

Neal Justin, The Minnesota Star Tribune on

Published in Entertainment News

Steven Spielberg has dabbled in just about every genre, but he keeps coming back to the future.

“Disclosure Day,” which scooped up more than $90 million globally in its opening weekend, is the director’s 10th sci-fi feature, and that’s not counting “Firelight,” the 1964 precursor to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” that Spielberg whipped together when he was just 17.

In honor of “Disclosure,” now playing in theaters, here’s a look back at the director’s sci-fi past in ascending order of greatness:

10. “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (1997): If Spielberg has any weaknesses, it’s his tendency at times to let a love of special effects take precedent over a love of characters. That’s never been truer than in this overloaded sequel. It’s packed with spectacular action scenes, but lacks the humor and heart of the original.

9. “War of the Worlds” (2005): The 9/11 tragedy may be responsible for bringing out the cynic in Spielberg. He’s never treated alien forces with such disdain as he does in his interpretation of H.G. Wells’ classic novel, destroying more property than in all the “Fast & Furious” flicks combined. The only thing more incredulous than Martians attacking Earth is the concept of Tom Cruise as a crane operator.

8. “Minority Report” (2002): As in “War,” this Philip K. Dick adaptation offers viewers plenty of opportunities to see Cruise run at full speed, a treat as exhilarating as watching Fred Astaire dance on a ceiling. He’s got plenty of reason to sprint around in this fast-paced thriller, playing a detective who relies way too much on psychic visions to stop imminent murders. The high-minded concept plays out better in print than on the screen.

7. “Disclosure Day” (2026): For a movie with alien abductions, rebels being hunted by ruthless government agents and the threat of Armageddon, Spielberg’s latest is surprisingly slow. The relentless exposition is only made bearable by Emily Blunt’s plucky performance. The idea that creatures from outer space might have something worthwhile to teach mere Earthlings was more intriguing in “Contact” and “Arrival.”

 

6. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008): Spielberg and George Lucas finally make good on their threat to plunk their swashbuckling hero into a plot straight out of the sci-fi B movies of the 1950s. It’s the corniest of the “Raiders” flicks, but stuff like a battle with giant ants and a hammy Cate Blanchett help make this good stupid fun.

5. “Ready Player One” (2018): This tongue-in-cheek tribute to video games is also packed with sly nods to films, toys and music from the ’80s and ’90s. There’s a thread of a plot — teenagers try to keep a virtual-reality universe away from the hands of evildoers — but the real draw is the massive Easter egg hunt.

4. “Jurassic Park” (1993): It’s hard to believe that this groundbreaking blockbuster was released the same year “Schindler’s List” came out. Then again, Spielberg’s need to distract himself from the heaviness of a Holocaust project may have fueled his desire to churn out something more heartfelt than a landlocked version of “Jaws.”

3. “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977): Richard Dreyfuss is superb as the world’s worst father who’s more than eager to abandon his kids to go chase flying saucers. “Encounters” doesn’t have a lot of good things to say about parenting, but you can’t deny how magnificently it reflects and celebrates our hunger to explore the unknown.

2. “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence” (2001): Stanley Kubrick handed off this project to Spielberg a few years before his death, a surprising move considering Kubrick’s pessimistic view of mankind. The younger filmmaker retains some of Kubrick’s darkness, while adding the kind of uplifting touches that would make the director of “A Clockwork Orange” wince. The results: a multilayered masterpiece. Aside from “Empire of the Sun,” it’s Spielberg’s most underappreciated film.

1. “E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982): Yeah, it’s a children’s movie. So what? Spielberg’s wholly original fable (screenplay by Harrison Ford’s ex-wife, Melissa Mathison) about a boy’s bond with an alien sneaks in grown-up themes of abandonment and faith without ever overlooking its core audience. l’m not crying; you’re crying!


©2026 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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