Spielberg’s Disclosure Day First Reactions and the Final Trailer
Today at Life After Gateway, we have some first reactions to Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, and I have to say, the response has been something special.
I have written about this film here, here, and here. It was an interesting marketing campaign, with only small hints being revealed in December. Before that, we hadn’t even learned the title or synopsis, which is rare for a film whose release was only six months away. Shortly after some creative signs appeared in Times Square, a teaser came out, a Super Bowl commercial, and then more and more tidbits slowly revealed until today, where we have a final trailer and some first reactions following a press screening.
The cast includes:
Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man), Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell, and Colin Firth.
The short description from the studio’s YouTube channel:
If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people.
We are coming close to … Disclosure Day.
Below are critics’ first reactions. There are NO SPOILERS. Enjoy reading them, but please stick around and watch the final trailer further below, because it includes something interesting: the man himself, interviewed about the story, its meaning, and the rationale behind the film. I have to also mention, there have been persistent rumours that this movie might be connected to Close Encounters of the Third Kind in some way. Could it be a direct sequel? The marketing has been effective at keeping people guessing.
First Reactions
And here’s what reviewers are saying after the screening:
Bloody Disgusting:
#DisclosureDay is like E.T. and LOST in one. Steven Spielberg is all in on engaging mystery and some astounding bits of camera work. Emily Blunt is exhaustingly good, Colman Domingo stands out. It’s a mysterious, tense thrill that largely gives what it promises. Good movie.
Collider:
In a shock to absolutely no one, Steven Spielberg has delivered another towering home run with #DisclosureDay … Emily Blunt is incredible. I know big summer movies aren’t usually the kinds of performances that get awards-season attention, but once people see what she does in this…
The Wrap:
I can’t remember the last time I loved a Spielberg movie as much as #DisclosureDay — thrilling, funny, deeply emotional and impeccably acted (Emily Blunt, in particular, is astounding). Full of mystery and wonder, it proves that nobody does it quite like Spielberg. Just great.
ScreenRant:
Disclosure Day’ is ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL! Truly something special. I was hanging onto every word, captivated by the story as it all played out. The score perfectly elevates every single scene. Part mystery, part Twlight Zone, something new entirely…WOW
Gizmodo:
I loved #DisclosureDay. A dense roller coaster ride blending chase film, love story, & mystery, all wrapped in sci-fi wonder. It’s Spielberg’s best film in 20 years, filled w/ all the magic that makes his films so special, plus an all-time character/performance by Emily Blunt.
Slashfilm’s Bill Bria:
Breathtaking compositions, David Koepp’s ‘X-FILES-meets-The Bible’ script is one big high-wire act, Emily Blunt’s most accomplished performance, and John Williams’ best score in years…riveting, moving stuff
What do you think? It all sounds incredible. Will you see this on 12 June 2026 when it opens in theatres? Tell me in the comments. Here’s the film’s final trailer:
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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.
— Timothy S. Johnston, 5 June 2026
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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel
“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop
“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite
“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories
“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest
“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels
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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!
WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.
Book Cover & Jacket Copy:
AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!
A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …
Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.
Taunting him.
Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.
If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.
But the assassin could be anyone …
Watch your back, Mac.
A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.
FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE
The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:
The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007
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TSJ’s Awards
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THE WAR BENEATH: FIRST PLACE 2018 GLOBAL THRILLER Action / Adventure Category Winner, 2019 Silver Falchion Award Finalist, 2018 CLUE Award Semi-Finalist, 2019 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist, & 2019 CYGNUS Award Shortlister
THE SAVAGE DEEPS: FIRST PLACE 2020 CYGNUS Award Winner, 2019 GLOBAL THRILLER Awards Finalist, 2022 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist; 2019 CLUE Award Shortlister
FATAL DEPTH: FIRST PLACE 2021 GLOBAL THRILLER Award Winner, 2022 Silver Falchion Award Finalist (Best Action Adventure), 2021 CYGNUS Award Semi-Finalist
