Movies about extraterrestrial aliens have been around for decades. Initially they tended to follow the same predictable pattern: evil aliens out to conquer earth versus seemingly helpless humans who eventually save the day. This storyline reflected 1950s politics, specifically the Cold War between the US and the USSR. The world has moved on – albeit slightly – since those days and fortunately so have science fiction films.
Steven Spielberg’s earlier sci-fi films (‘E.T.’ and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’) showed a degree of innovation with plot and characters. His latest movie follows this trend beyond the standard human-goodies-vs-alien-
Some aspects of the plot reverse the earlier ‘evil alien’ trope. Significantly, the aliens in this film are largely in the background of the story: the focus is more on what they are trying to convey through a couple of exceptionally gifted humans played by Josh O’Connor and Emily Blunt.
As the title suggests, this film revolves around some sort of mega ‘revelation’. On the one hand, there are vested interests who want to maintain the status quo, while, on the other hand, there are those who are determined to get the message out. The story is concerned with the how, when and even whether this revelation will be made. Since there are more than a few twists and turns along the way, we can’t be absolutely certain of the final outcome.
Declaration Day, 2025. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Furthermore, the focus on the ‘declaration’ renders the movie more about how humans might grapple with the possibility of alien life, especially if they can’t even acknowledge its existence. This emphasis on human insecurities about what is ‘out there’ makes for a rather interesting story.
The premise of the film is enhanced by more contemporary revelations, namely the Trump government’s recent declassification of its UFO records. This anchors the film in contemporary developments in the real world.
While the premise is fairly simple, the plot is rather more intricate. It combines a number of elements beyond extraterrestrials. For example, ESP and repressed memories figure prominently and there is even a nod to the implications for contemporary theology. Additionally, the imaginative script contains successive revelations while the editing, especially of the action scenes ensures the story moves along at a swift pace.
Since the plot revolves around two opposing groups, there are identifiable ‘goodies’ and ‘badies’. Colin Firth’s character, at least initially, falls into the latter category especially as he even condones murder. However, this distinction gets slightly blurred when we get to the final unravelling. Like many a good mystery movie, not everything is fully explained: it leaves the viewer to fill in a few gaps.
Nevertheless, the message – especially for sci-fi nerds – is clear: remember to ‘listen’ as ‘we are not alone’.