One of the best sci-fi movies of 2026 is available to watch right now

The film stars an Irish actress in one of the lead roles.

The film begins with Daniel (Josh O'Connor, Challengers) and his girlfriend Jane (Ireland's own Eve Hewson, Bad Sisters) being pursued by the shadowy corporation Wardex. Daniel was employed by Wardex as a cybersecurity expert, but discovered some mysterious and troubling information.

Stealing from the corporation evidence of their misdeeds and a strangely powerful device, he and Jane must dodge henchmen dispatched by the head of Wardex, Noah (Colin Firth, The King's Speech). This is as they try to reconnect with a group of whistleblowers led by fellow Wardex defector Hugo (Colman Domingo, Euphoria).

At the same time, former journalist/TV weatherperson Margaret (Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer) has suddenly acquired seemingly superhuman abilities. This is after an interaction with a cardinal bird that flew through her apartment window.

These abilities include instant fluency in several languages she couldn't speak before, as well as being able to read other people's minds. When she begins displaying these abilities on her morning talk show, it attracts the attention of Wardex, which puts her and Daniel on a collision course.

Fresh off of making his most overtly personal movie yet - 2022's semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans - the 79-year-old Spielberg has delivered, if not his best sci-fi, then at least one that encapsulates what makes him such a master of the genre, as well as such an incredible director.

Co-written with his frequent collaborator, David Koepp, Spielberg's latest feels like a combination of two distinct, great eras of the filmmaker's career.

Eve Hewson in Disclosure Day

Spielberg begins the story in media res, with a shot you'd never predict before viewing in a million years. From there, the movie rarely takes its foot off the pedal, delivering a string of stunning set-pieces.

An early farm escape sequence should be taught in filmmaking classes as an example of perfect blocking and staging. A later action set-piece involving a train level crossing is hair-raisingly exciting, tense and scary, while also inspiring awe from the audience in how inventively and rapidly Spielberg enhances the stakes, stacking the deck against the heroes.

It's worth noting that Disclosure Day is 145 minutes long. Yet, it flies by on account of these breathless set-pieces and how swept up the audience becomes in its story.

Spielberg originated the initial idea for Disclosure Day. Koepp fleshed it out, penning the screenplay. We'd argue the script is at its strongest during its two-thirds. This is when the duo are teasing out the story's many mysteries and macguffins, while staying focused on Daniel, Jane, and Margaret as they hurtle the protagonists from one location to another.

As Disclosure Day nears its endgame and moves away from its heroes' POV, becoming broader in scope, Koepp's script takes several big swings, even for an already clearly fantastical film, in its efforts to provide a speedy resolution to those long-bubbling mysteries. We imagine some of these third-act narrative developments will prove divisive amongst audiences, leading to confusion and lingering questions.

That said, even if certain late-in-the-game reveals strain credulity, the movie still worked for JOE. This is thanks to the power of Spielberg's direction and his uniformly terrific cast's acting abilities, along with the story's ultimate message about the importance of communication and empathy.

It's much easier as an audience to accept big logic leaps if you have effortlessly commanding and sincere actors like Blunt, Domingo, Firth and O'Connor communicating them, and you believe in their characters. Blunt has a scene following a near-death experience that is so authentically and viscerally performed that we'd be shocked if she doesn't get some love when awards season rolls around.

Irish actress Hewson is also great, playing a former nun-in-training. She worries that her boyfriend's alien disclosure will have a disastrous knock-on effect, impacting people's religious beliefs and throwing the world into further chaos. This is a perfect example of a plot line that isn't quite fully fleshed out, but Hewson sells.

After Project Hail Mary's massive success at the box office earlier in 2026, we hope Spielberg's latest does similarly well. Hollywood blockbusters are rarely made with so much clear care and craft.

Disclosure Day is in cinemas now.