Steven Spielberg’s latest movie asks some interesting questions, even if it never gets around to solving them

At its core, “Disclosure Day,” Steven Spielberg’s latest manifestation of his long-standing interest in the extraterrestrial, wants you to believe. In what, exactly? Well, the movie never gets around to answering that.

And it’s clear it doesn’t want to. Instead, it wants you to ponder some of life’s most existential questions: of who we are, of where we belong, of faith and belief and what exists beyond the stars — or in secret on our pale blue dot. And, this being Spielberg, the whole experience is bathed in a sense of optimism that, when push comes to shove, humanity will shine bright.

Ironically enough, the opening of “Disclosure Day,” directed by Spielberg from a script by David Koepp (“Jurassic Park,” “War of the Worlds”), doesn’t leave you feeling optimistic. The world is on the brink of World War III, the encroaching nuclear apocalypse splashed across every news channel. And it turns out the U.S. government has been keeping some mighty important secrets from everyone, secrets that cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (a solemn Josh O’Connor) stole and now wants to share with the world. They deserve to know the truth about our place in the universe, he insists, even if doing so might devastate an already precarious geopolitical situation. 

Meanwhile, TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (a dazzling Emily Blunt) is having a bad day: She wants to be promoted, she’s not feeling the energy in Kansas City, she’s late for work, she’d pulled over by a cop — oh, and she can suddenly and inexplicably speak Russian and Korean and seemingly has the ability to read minds. It’s a lot to handle before you even start the workday. 

And then there’s the struggle between Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth, delightfully hateable) and Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo, charmingly paranoid). The former is the CEO of the company Daniel stole those secrets from (including highly classified files and one very cool piece of tech). The latter has his own agenda, but suffice to say it involves making sure Daniel and Margaret don’t stray from the path they’ve been set on.

Over its 145-minute runtime, “Disclosure Day” merges these storylines and starts asking its many questions. Would the proof of the existence of aliens on Earth cause worldwide panic? What about religion, and God? Is it ever worth hiding the truth, or is revelation the only morally correct choice?

Like I said earlier, the film doesn’t bother answering those questions. What it does do, though, is make sure you have a lot of fun watching it. A nostalgic blend of “Minority Report” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (both of which Spielberg directed), it’s packed with fantastic action and thriller sequences, plus a healthy dose of disbelieving humor. Janusz Kamiński’s creative cinematography (particularly involving a car chase and a farmhouse) and John Williams’ ethereal score also deserve praise.

But for all that fun — and there’s a lot to be had here — “Disclosure Day” doesn’t always hit its mark, especially its religious analogies, which come across as ham-fisted and on the nose. And its unending optimism in humankind feels oddly out of tune at times, considering nukes are about to start dropping. 

Still, there’s something deeply admirable — something quintessentially Spielberg — about putting your faith in people, even when the world is telling you not to. (I get the feeling Spielberg purposefully eschewed any sense of cynicism in favor of telling a story of hope.)

In the end, “Disclosure Day” is Spielberg spectacle at its best: thrilling, action-packed and not afraid to shoot for the stars. It may leave you with more questions than answers, but there are worse questions to be left with — and answers to not have.

Four Spielbergian stars out of five.

Photo caption: Colman Domingo, from left, Tommy Martinez, Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor in a scene from Disclosure Day.” (Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment)