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“Are they people?” No, not really. Though they may be back in the galaxies they came from.
Director Steven Spielberg’s fascination with life from other worlds dates back to 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and continued with 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. In 1993 his sensibility for the persecuted was manifested in Schindler’s List. While his gift for action-adventure filmmaking and thrilling audiences was honed through Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park. Those films, their vibrancy and his artistry have led him up to this moment. Now his fascination with alien life has evolved into a work shaded by modern anxieties about governmental wrongdoing. And it’s a whopper.
Dr. Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), a scientist and cybersecurity expert, is being stalked. Why? Because he has something his old boss at a secret research firm, Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), desperately wants. Scanlon’s henchmen hunt him like prey. It wasn’t Daniel’s idea to involve his girlfriend Jane (Eve Hewson), but there she is beside him and on the run too. Fortunately, Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo) coaches Daniel by phone, providing just enough information to keep him ahead of his adversaries.
Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) is a weather forecaster at a Kansas City TV station. A prima donna of sorts, she’s in love with her boyfriend Jackson (Wyatt Russell), who plays second fiddle to her ego. All that changes one day on her local broadcast when she perceives herself speaking normally but others don’t, they think it’s gibberish. Before she can make sense of it, she’s also on the run.
The premise is born from Spielberg’s imagination. The inking of his story is courtesy of screenwriter David Koepp, who worked with the director on Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds. Expect the complex plotting to have more twists, turns, subplots and red herring detours than most movies. Lots of it is intriguing enough to keep audiences fascinated as the mystery that drives all is revealed in pieces. The drama and action it generates are well measured throughout. Some will marvel at the philosophical discussions about God and the ethics of withholding or dispensing information. Some will ignore the implications, sit back and enjoy an attention-grabbing sci-fi/thriller.
For those who haven’t experienced a Spielberg film in a while, be prepared for the bigness of it all. Nothing is subtle. Jolting opening scenes feature startling violence. He directs with over-whelming force, relying heavily on cutaways and metaphorical imagery. It’s all captured by the very fluid cinematography of Janusz Kamiński (Schindler’s List), whose camera dances around characters so much it could give viewers whiplash. Hardly subtle but often effective. The musical score seems gigantic as it drains away any realism, but that’s the trademark of veteran composer John Williams.
Most of the clothes are unnoticeable, which is a credit to costume designer Paul Tazewell. The exception is initial shots of an overdressed Firth in a navy-blue suit and a black turtleneck. Corporate devils dress more like librarians, not like GQ models. Production designer Adam Stockhausen highlights the great divide between everyday American life and covert government activities when he contrasts houses, bedrooms and freight trains against high-tech control rooms with wall-to-wall monitors that stretch up to the ceilings. Visual effects designer Matthew Butler excels in a sequence in which bodies enter rooms as apparitions. He’s far less successful with animal images, which all look hopelessly computer-generated.
Like Picasso or Renoir, Spielberg paints with the confidence of a master artist. Albeit with a heavy brush. Everything feels big and exaggerated. The production itself. The dialogue-heavy, exposition-laden, theater-like script that mires conversations. “Show us, don’t tell us.” Also, on the heels of the very low-budget psych-thriller Backrooms, which was just as scary on a minuscule budget, you might question if Spielberg’s inability to think small is a hindrance. That skepticism fades at the 45-minute mark. After that you succumb. This is Spielberg’s rollercoaster and you’re happy to have a front seat. Especially during some train escape scenes. That’s Spielberg’s wink and nod to his ability to still create great commotion and adventure.
Emily Blunt was cheeky in Devil Wears Prada and DWP2, courageous in A Quiet Place and self-absorbed in Smashing. She furthers her reputation for versatility as Margaret transitions from meteorologist to hero. The transformation is conveyed through her eyes, expressions and growing sense of wonder. Even when the film flounders, she is steadfast. O’Connor is almost like the straight man to her heroics. Domingo’s baritone voice is so soothing it’s no wonder the two leads follow him blindly. A confrontation scene between Noah and Hugo hits a dramatic peak. Firth and Henry Lloyd-Hughes as his henchman Casper Boyd are suitably heartless. The supporting cast, whether playing stoic members of the resistance (e.g., Tommy Martinez as Santiago) or ruthless operatives, is equally effective.
Considering the huge talent on this project, there shouldn’t be any blunders. Yet there are questionable moments. In a scene when the bad guys have surrounded a farmhouse, Daniel sneaks up behind them, and it isn’t a credible moment. At such a short distance, it’s unlikely he’d go unseen or unheard. You already ask sci-fi audiences to take a leap of faith. Don’t ask them to throw out all reality, too.
In the great pantheon of films where an out-of-this-world creature came to earth for a visit, this film is not all that original. Almost like an amalgamation of ideas we’ve seen before. Not innovative. Overproduced. Overwritten. And, yet they will come. Adults, young adults, genre fans. They’ll come to see a spectacle by a master filmmaker who’s out to show the world that alien conspiracies are worth our attention. And he’s the right one to explore that possibility. That we aren’t alone. He does so with verve. “Are they people?” You’ll find out.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HjdiohVOik
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.