10 Sci-Fi Movies To Watch Before Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day

After focusing on other projects for over two decades, Steven Spielberg is returning to the topic of alien life with his new film, Disclosure Day. This is his first UFO story since the classic E.T. the Extraterrestrial, and luckily, there have been many other films released in the meantime to get audiences excited for it.

The trailer for Disclosure Day reveals a secret: aliens are living among us, and the government has been covering it up. Surprisingly, these aliens don’t even know they are aliens. When one of them makes an unusual clicking sound, it’s a shock because others suddenly understand what it means.

A surprising incident kicks off a series of events that leads Daniel Kellner, a government cybersecurity expert and whistleblower portrayed by Josh O’Connor, to expose a widespread conspiracy. The trailer also teases a possible alien invasion, featuring a quick shot of a massive UFO emerging from a dark cloud.

The film clearly shares similarities with Spielberg’s classic science fiction movies, boasting impressive visual effects and a beautiful score composed by John Williams. However, when looking at the film’s core ideas, story, and themes, several other movies have been just as influential as Spielberg’s own previous films.

10. The Age of Disclosure

2025

Prime Video’s UFO documentary, The Age of Disclosure, had a brief run in theaters last November, largely because it’s well-made and looks great. While the film doesn’t offer much new evidence about aliens, it’s a good choice for anyone casually interested in conspiracy theories.

As a believer, I was really intrigued by this documentary. It alleges there’s been a massive cover-up regarding proof of alien life, specifically claiming the U.S. government is hiding information we deserve to know. Honestly, watching it felt like a real-life version of the movie Disclosure Day, but without all the explosions and face-to-face alien meetings. It’s more focused on the idea that the truth is being kept from us.

9. Species

1995

The sci-fi horror movie Species has gained a strong following among fans, but it didn’t receive much praise from critics. The story centers around scientists trying to create a combination of human and alien DNA after making contact with life from another planet.

As expected, the experiment went terribly wrong. The outcome wasn’t quite like the alien integration depicted in Disclosure Day, but both stories center on the idea of aliens secretly living among us on Earth.

8. Independence Day

1996

The classic alien invasion film, Independence Day, recently gained a new audience on Netflix and remains a standard for big-budget action movies. While it focuses more on battles than Disclosure Day, both films explore how governments and the military would handle first contact with extraterrestrial life.

Interestingly, there’s a strong similarity between Jeff Goldblum’s character David Levinson in Independence Day and Josh O’Connor’s Daniel Kellner in Spielberg’s latest film. Both are computer experts whose skills prove crucial when dealing with the dangers of an alien invasion.

7. The Hidden

1987

Jack Sholder’s sci-fi horror film, The Hidden, is a standout movie about aliens who disguise themselves as people. While it features more gruesome body horror than Disclosure Day, it has a similar idea: the alien parasite makes its human hosts make strange, inhuman noises.

The movie The Hidden has inspired many other films, including the Men in Black series. Interestingly, the 1993 film Jason Goes to Hell borrows so much from The Hidden that people often think it’s a remake.

6. E.T. The Extraterrestrial

1982

Although Steven Spielberg turned down a sequel to E.T. in the 1980s, Disclosure Day feels like a continuation of that story, offering a more personal perspective than his 2005 film, War of the Worlds. While his upcoming movie will likely be more intense and mature than the original family classic, E.T. remains a film worth watching.

Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a classic film that established many of the themes now common in stories about first contact with aliens – like the wonder of discovering life beyond Earth, seen through a child’s perspective, and the idea that aliens can represent anyone who feels like an outsider. And of course, the iconic music by John Williams is unforgettable.

5. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

1978

Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a landmark science fiction horror film that first introduced many moviegoers to the terrifying idea of aliens taking over people’s bodies. While films like Ridley Scott’s Alien and John Carpenter’s The Thing came later, this updated version of a 1956 classic was the original to explore that concept.

Though very different in style from Disclosure Day, the 1978 film *Invasion of the Body Snatchers almost certainly influenced Steven Spielberg’s newest movie, even if that influence wasn’t direct. This sci-fi classic is a must-see for all genre fans, particularly those who enjoy alien invasion stories that feel scientifically plausible.

4. District 9

2009

District 9 is a clever science fiction film that uses the story of alien refugees to explore themes of segregation and immigration, drawing inspiration from real events during South Africa’s apartheid era. The movie imagines a world where aliens are confined to ghetto-like settlements after landing on Earth, and it’s a compelling story even without considering its social message.

The way they communicate is remarkably similar to the clicking sounds made by Emily Blunt’s character, Margaret Fairchild, in Disclosure Day. And District 9 has one of the most powerful endings in science fiction – it might even make you cry.

3. The Signal

2014

The Signal shares a similar feel to the trailer for Disclosure Day. It’s a slow-burn story about a potential alien conspiracy centered around Area 51 and involving a computer hacker. While the main characters are definitely human, things aren’t as they appear.

While not flawless, this sci-fi thriller is captivating throughout. The ending, in particular, is a stunning twist that rivals even the work of Steven Spielberg.

2. The Phenomenon

2020

As a lifelong movie buff and someone fascinated by UFOs, I can tell you The Phenomenon is easily one of the best documentaries on the subject I’ve ever seen. It really builds a strong argument that governments around the world have been hiding the truth about aliens. It’s a really thorough look at UFO sightings, starting after World War II and using those incredible Pentagon videos as a starting point to explore everything that’s happened since.

This book explores famous unexplained events, like the incidents at Roswell and Rendlesham Forest, which inspired the film Disclosure Day. The Phenomenon doesn’t offer easy answers; instead, it presents intriguing evidence and lets viewers draw their own conclusions about what might be happening.

1. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

1977

Essentially, Disclosure Day feels like a reaction to Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the classic sci-fi film about first contact with aliens. The character Daniel Kellner seems to be a lot like Roy Neary – a knowledgeable insider with secrets about extraterrestrials who wants to reveal them to the public, but for his own motivations.

The new film, Disclosure Day, is generating a lot of excitement, but it has a high bar to clear. Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a science fiction masterpiece that continues to impress viewers, even after many viewings, and remains a landmark achievement in the genre.

2026-05-19 01:20