DISCLOSURE DAY - Score as heard in the film (no spoilers)

[Quintus 6,657]

@mrbellamy

 

How do you rate the movie?

[Marian Schedenig 11,872]

11 hours ago, Jay said:

When are YOU seeing the film?

 

 

[Jay 46,803]

10 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

I noticed in the credits, both orchestration and conducting are credited to John Williams, William Ross, and Randy Kerber, the three of them

 

Interesting!

 

Can't wait to see what the physical editions booklets say since I am sure none of the digital releases will contain a digital booklet

[mrbellamy 8,269]

I went with a 3.5/5 on Letterboxd, part of me wants to go 4 and part of me is at 3, so there it is for now. 

 

I'm excited for a spoiler thread cause this movie has stuff to talk about. There are some amazing moments but I found myself waiting for THE moment where it really takes off and soars to the end. There were a couple points where I was like "Ahhh this is it" but then the energy would kinda lose me again. Incredible stuff happens at the end and yet I felt a little deflated when "Directed by Steven Spielberg" came up. 

 

My problems kinda boil down to an uninteresting villain and confusion around whether certain story elements were more science or magic. The script is kinda exposition-heavy as well and I never quite fell in love with the characters, but I was always really happy to get back to Emily Blunt and her boyfriend played by Wyatt Russell. His character is the most David Koepp-y but in a good way, it's really fun comic relief that the movie needs. I'm surprised none of the reviews I saw mentioned Russell because my audience loved him. 

 

The car chase is a favorite, it's a really really cool sequence that got a few "AHH!" type reactions out of me. And I think from the beginning, anything with Emily Blunt's character and learning more about her is where the movie always piqued my interest and sets up the best John Williams moments. The story definitely goes places, but not in my best 21st century Spielbergs. 

[Jay 46,803]

1 minute ago, mrbellamy said:

I'm excited for a spoiler thread

 

spoilers-allowed thread to discuss the movie: https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/38246-disclosure-day-spoilers-allowed-discussion-thread

spoilers-allowed thread to discuss the score: https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/38248-disclosure-day-complete-score-discussion-spoilers-allowed

[Gabriel Bezerra 800]

The screening was in IMAX, the score is very noticeable in IMAX. The end credits was the only moment where I teared up, listening to Williams' last score (probably), the brass reaching into my soul.

 

There's a moment in which the "listen" theme is sung that I'll be surprised if it is in the album. Act one of the movie is mostly short cues.

[Taikomochi 1,533]

Edited- Disregard lol

[DangerMotif 1,306]

Deleted

[Arnaud2 120]

16 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

It’s hard to really think of a Spielberg movie or score to directly compare this to, I don't agree at all with Arnaud saying it's like Ready Player One. It's kind of like a PG-13 Children of Men. Parts of the movie and score also kinda made me think if Spielberg/Williams did something like Michael Clayton lol, a very muted thriller. Maybe I'm off base with this but it made me think of James Newton Howard or John Powell in that mode.

You’re not far off, it’s a film for 12 year old children that takes itself seriously. A week after seeing it, I stand with the Ready Player One comparison. Minus the 3D digital world, but that goes without saying.

Expect little and you shall be rewarded. But what matters here is that the score is way better than the film. Not necessarily well used but it will be a great album to listen to.

[TheUlyssesian 2,768]

Oh the movie is terrific by the way. 

 

Not what you are expecting and not what you want. But it is the movie Spielberg made and I love it for what it is.

 

21 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

There are two major symphonic music highlights but they are not the listen theme.

 

 My favorite moment the most striking one is an extended like piano like motif that is similar to the attraction theme in Queer. Not similar just trying to give you a sense of how it sounds. This piece was mixed very well.

 

 The other one is to do with key scenes with Emily Blunt. 

 

So it seems both of them have been released as samples.

 

 

Believe is the first piece i was referring to.

 

 Celestial is the second one it seems like.

 

--

 

Believe is a highlight for sure. The score is mixed quite well in the scene and it really sets the tone of the rather unusual scene.

[King Mark 4,019]

On 09/06/2026 at 1:45 AM, mrbellamy said:

 

The mysterious theme that played at the premiere and opens the score featurette....I don't think that version is 100% in the movie. It starts the credits but then transitions to "listen..." Unless I spaced out I don't think the melody ever hits the high strings like that in the film or credits.

 

 

 

Never mind that part is on the OST

[mrbellamy 8,269]

I thought it was Buckbeak's theme based on that featurette lol, it actually took me a day to get used to "Buckbeak's Flight" because I was expecting something more thunderous. I was too young to listen closer and identify it as a Double Trouble variation. Then when I realized it was from the end credits and it wasn't on "Mischief Managed!" either, the disappointment was twofold!

 

 

 

[Ricard 2,715]

On 08/06/2026 at 11:44 PM, crumbs said:

I'll be seeing an advance screening tomorrow night, so around 35 hours from now.

 

Looking forward to your comments on the score!

 

Other members who are about to see the film and will likely post their reviews soon:

 

BB-8, eitam & Marian Schedenig (watching it tonight).

 

Damien F & Jay (watching it tomorrow).

 

Also looking forward to Thor's review at Celluloid Tunes.

 

--

 

Also, since the album is already "out there, somewhere", we can expect the first comments about the album sequencing and the unreleased music.

[pete 1,337]

I just saw it, and I didn't really notice a lot of music in the film - it's certainly sparsely scored, and it was well over an hour into it before there was any music that wasn't tense/atmospheric music. For me, it wasn't until the credits that the music had a chance to shine.... I guess that reflects Spielberg's comments comparing this score to Close Encounters. But it certainly was nice to hear a longer version of Listen in the credits. I think the powerful music that began the credits before Listen kicked in was tracked? The longer Listen.... Was that looped? I have a greater appreciation for Listen now, and I think it would make a fine addition to a concert of Williams' music.

 

I loved the very final few bars as the credits finished - a solo female voice humming the theme that starts Listen... Surely that's on the soundtrack?

On 6/9/2026 at 2:45 PM, mrbellamy said:

Unless I spaced out I don't think the melody ever hits the high strings like that in the film or credits. So hopefully it's on the soundtrack. The music for the crop circle shot is correct, yeah. 

 

 

I also didn't notice hearing that. 

And all the musicians are listed in the credits. I noticed Don Williams is still getting work from his older brother!

[crumbs 16,098]

22 minutes ago, pete said:

I loved the very final few bars as the credits finished - a solo female voice humming the theme that starts Listen... Surely that's on the soundtrack?

 

This stood out to me more than anything else in the end credits! I really hope it's on the album. The first half of the credits seemed like a mix of the Dolby music and Listen, but there's an obvious transition to what sounds like a film cue halfway through.

 

Haven't listened to the album yet but just got home from the film. Will write up some thoughts but first impressions is this was another glorious JW score that sounded fresh, warm, original and surprisingly modern. I'm astonished that a score of this energy, with such forward propulsion, came from the hand of a 94 year old.

 

I do wonder if the film might have had more narrative thrust if JW's score was more prominent in the first half though, rather than being reduced to short tension cues that don't really drive the film forward. It does noticeably follow the onscreen action rather than lead it, as Spielberg alluded.

 

20 hours ago, mrbellamy said:

The script is kinda exposition-heavy as well and I never quite fell in love with the characters

 

This was my major problem with the film. Surprisingly wordy when Spielberg's such an excellent visualist, and Josh O'Connor had very little character depth compared to Emily Blunt.

[karelm 3,305]

You know what's crazy?  I've been on this forum for almost 20 years now.  Back then, a new Raiders movie was coming out and was very exciting.  Williams was in his 70's and really seemed like that might be the last score of his we'd get before he retires.  Here we are, 20 years later and about to get a major new Spielberg/Williams UFO score!!!  So excited.  I've heard the music is more restrained but that is completely fine with me.  Some of my very favorite moments from his classic scores are those quiet moments that barely register in excitement but are so full of magic.  I can't wait for this.

[hornist 1,270]

Just saw this. Thank you John, you are amazing!!😍😍😍

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,681]

1 minute ago, hornist said:

Just saw this. Thank you John, you are amazing!!😍😍😍

 

He's a treasure.

[BB-8 6,429]

Arrived at the cinema waiting for the film to start (19:30). The door of stage 2 (16:20 screening) is open widely and I am now listening to the end credits music...wonderful! "listen" followed by some mysterious vibes with choir, and the "theme" sung by a human (?) voice at the end. Doors are closed now...

[King Mark 4,019]

Ok, so for those that both saw the film and listened to the OST, is there important unreleased highlights?

 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,681]

I would say no. But i'm sure thats a matter of opinion.

[Tydirium 1,644]

Can anyone confirm whether the first half of reprise… (mostly talking about the horns and then strings carrying the tune from the Dolby vid/Paris premiere) is heard in the end credits?

[Pawel P. 986]

I saw Disclosure Day for a second time today - and I don't regret it at all.

 

It held up surprisingly well on a second viewing so soon after the first. Knowing the story already allowed me to focus more on the score and appreciate just how important a role it plays in the overall experience.

 

I noticed more action material, some interesting touches of electronics, and even a bit more thematic depth and variety than I picked up on during the first screening.

 

I still haven't listened to the leaked OST on YouTube yet. I usually avoid listening to film scores on YouTube, but I have a feeling I might give in later tonight.

[BB-8 6,429]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don on timps...

[Jay 46,803]

I believe that is the same information as this:

 

https://filmmusicreporter.com/music-team-credits/disclosure-day/

[BB-8 6,429]

Yes, but reverse-engineered.

[Jay 46,803]

Quote

Score Recorded at: SONY PICTURES STUDIOS SCORING STAGE

 

Is that the stage inside The John Williams Music Building?

 

If so, is this his first score recorded there?

[benoitjean 163]

I asked myself the same question 

JB

[eitam 447]

Just got back. Not much to add to previous reports. 

 

Besides some "bad guys doing bad stuff" drones, the music sounded fresh ! As advertized, it's pretty low key during most of the movie, and only becomes much more present during the final act, which concentrates most of highlights. One or two musical bits reminded me strongly of AI. Otherwise I thought it was pretty much its own thing. I'll see how it holds up in album form. 

I regret there wasn't any scene where I felt completely carried away by the music (but then I was a bit disappointed by the movie itself). 

 

It's so strange and wonderful to think that, nearly 50 years after Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John Williams is once again scoring shadowy organizations moving around with big trucks to deal with aliens ! 

[hornist 1,270]

I loved so much 2/3 of the movie 1/3 not at all. Damn you Spielberg.

 

I cried many times there, not in the ending. 

[Marian Schedenig 11,872]

Well… the film is weird. And not in a successful way. But I'll post about that in one of the other threads.

 

Things I noticed about the score (going in cold): The first cue is subdued tension scoring (coming in with the double basses), but it does some seriously heavy lifting in setting the tone for the film's opening section.

 

Overall, the score struck me as somewhat harmonically unusual for a Williams film score. As if he's now finally a concert composer who has written a film score, tweaking his concert sound into a style that fits the film.

 

The first part of the car chase music was interesting - scoring the tension rather than the chase, until it switched into action mode after a while.

 

The lengthy, subdued finale… works. So much so that it gave the film an emotional impact that it had hardly earned.

 

I did notice the Back Lot/Mondo reference in the credits, along with unknown to me orchestra and choir contractors, and Don Williams.

[Once 1,151]

Just got back from the cinema - a pretty new cinema with great sound! And I must have been expecting something different, because there was a lot more score in the movie than I thought there would be. I felt like the score was present pretty much all the way throughout. From the second scene onwards there was never a long stretch without score - and I really liked what I could hear. Sometimes melodic, sometimes atmospheric, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes electronic! Some great action music also.

Obviously just my first impression. Can’t wait to see it again.

[Taikomochi 1,533]

5 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

As if he's now finally a concert composer who has written a film score, tweaking his concert sound into a style that fits the film.

You put into words what I find so interesting about this score! I think this statement has applied, in some degree, to every score he’s done since TFA, but DD especially feels divorced from Williams the populist. Like we’ve stripped his style down to its barest essentials, and this is the pure music he wants to write.  

[Marian Schedenig 11,872]

5 minutes ago, Taikomochi said:

You put into words what I find so interesting about this score! I think this statement has applied, in some degree, to every score he’s done since TFA, but DD especially feels divorced from Williams the populist. Like we’ve stripped his style down to its barest essentials, and this is the pure music he wants to write.  

 

TFA was when I first said (based on the album) that it sounded like the whole thing was conceived as a musical work first (that also happened to match the film very well, but didn't make any musical compromises for it). But with DD, it sounded to me like Williams, rather than infusing his film scoring approach with his concert music techniques, has instead started on the concert music side and just slightly brought that in line with the film's demands.

[Parker Luciani 10,318]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

 

Is that the stage inside The John Williams Music Building?

 

If so, is this his first score recorded there?

No. Its the same as the Barbara Streisand Stage. Its the same place he recorded E.T.

 

https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/sony-scoring-stage-los-angeles 

[karelm 3,305]

1 hour ago, Rachael Foley said:

No. Its the same as the Barbara Streisand Stage. Its the same place he recorded E.T.

 

https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/sony-scoring-stage-los-angeles 

It's also where these other classics were recorded: Wizard of Oz (1939), Ben Hur (1959), Doctor Zhivago (1965)...ah hell, here: Sony Pictures Scoring Stage | Ultraverse Wiki | Fandom

 

It's Hollywood scoring royalty.

[mrbellamy 8,269]

However it must be the first score he's recorded in the building since it was renamed after him. 

 

Although maybe he's recorded other non-film music?

[Jay 46,803]

That's what I meant, the first since it was renamed.

[Simon R 9]

I was pretty disappointed with both the film and the music, to be honest. WIll keep comments here to the score (almost):

 

I think a lot of the music felt out of place, especially in the first half of the movie. I heard a lot of oboe solo (low key) cues, which reminded me more of 70's Star Wars movies more than anything else. I couldn't hear 100% what was going on, but in my opinion it wasn't even a servicable score in these parts, if was a detraction/distraction.

 

The same thing with a lot of the action music: It was in SW/Indy/("Minority Report") style, complete with piccolo+xylofone accebts etc. Also the synth elements were very basic and not really up to what you expect from a movie from 2026. It sounded ancient and primitive.

 

Several action sequences were not scored - and this is Spielberg's choice, I know - but that was also a problem: the scenes came off as tame and overly staged - they could really have used some tension creating music, maybe more in Powell mode than Williams mode.

 

The last part of the movie was where Williams (and Spielberg) worked best. More poetic music (and movie) going on here, and that worked pretty well, even if it was only half as good as the music from A.I. that it (in some ways) reminded me of.

 

Let's see when the score comes out, but I think we have already heard the best part ("Listen..."). But I hope there is some good music in there that didn't do too well in the movie or wasn't in it at all.

 

But throughout the movie I couldn't help feeling I wanted a different score for this - that Williams wasn't the right composer and that he seems to have lost something over the recent years. Of course it is still Spielberg's decision to go with an old fashioned score that sounds like something from the 80's/90's, alas without the magic/spiritual/ethereal feeling of "Close Encounters".

[BB-8 6,429]

The synth-vibes sounded mordern and not very Williams-like.

 

And the second source music is cringeworthy.

 

I heared Dies irae once.

[MaxMovieMan 355]

I love that 80s/90s sound that’s why Williams is so special to me. He definitely has a distinct style but I love it endlessly.

[BB-8 6,429]

 

There is a section towards the end of the film that sounded like a variation on an A.I. motif.

[BB-8 6,429]

1 hour ago, MaxMovieMan said:

I love that 80s/90s sound that’s why Williams is so special to me. He definitely has a distinct style but I love it endlessly.

[crumbs 16,098]

@mrbellamy and @hornist summed up my thoughts on the movie quite well.

 

The movie: it's a little strange. Maybe I was expecting something different (and I'm not sure what) thanks to the marketing. I can see general audiences feeling like this was a bait & switch, because I wouldn't describe the film as a UFO or alien movie. It's much closer to those reactions describing it as an X-Files or Twilight Zone episode. Spielberg's description of the film as fast paced with lots of forward momentum is questionable; it's exposition heavy (lots of Koepp-isms) and hits you over the head with some of its ruminations about God and religion. Spielberg's such an excellent visualist, not sure why he felt compelled to spell out these themes with such heavy-handed exposition.

 

The mystical/extraterrestrial aspects aren't fleshed out too much either. I kept waiting for the "ah hah!" moment in Act 3 that would unify the narrative but it never really arrives. The film spins its wheels in the middle and feels at least 10 minutes too long, especially after cutting back to Domingo for the 5th time to have the same scene over and over again.

 

But there's a lot to like! Blunt's sensational with a very demanding role. The cinematography is gorgeous; Spielberg's technical mastery is on full display. There's several shots I have no idea how he achieved them. Some CGI animals aside, the VFX are excellent. The film is at its best when it slows down and has quieter, intimate character moments accompanied by the delicate score, and the moments of fast-paced pursuit which evoke the likes of Minority Report, Sugarland and AI.

 

As for the score, it fits the film like a glove. The first half underpins the drama with restraint, but escalates as required to support the drama. You definitely notice the visuals triggering the music (a contrast to their previous collaborations, where the music traditionally builds in anticipation of the visual reveal).

 

But the second half... wow! It really kicks into gear from the chase sequence onwards and holds your attention. There's some astonishingly youthful, modern and energetic writing here, with a level of refinement and confidence in its restraint that is instantly recognizable as Williams. He doesn't compete for your attention through volume, rather an elegant restraint that perfectly melds with the visuals. I can't imagine the film working half as well without Williams' music.

[Marian Schedenig 11,872]

3 hours ago, BB-8 said:

And the second source music is cringeworthy.

 

What/where was the second source music?

[crocodile 9,801]

The Conversation Part II. This time, it's dubstep.

 

Karol

[crumbs 16,098]

6 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

What/where was the second source music?

 

I'd guess it's either the banging pianos or the girl singing that song?

[BB-8 6,429]

38 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

What/where was the second source music?

In the children's room flash-back scene.

[crumbs 16,098]

30 minutes ago, BB-8 said:

In the children's room flash-back scene.

 

Ah, I'd wondered if that was Williams. Apparently not!

[Marian Schedenig 11,872]

41 minutes ago, BB-8 said:

In the children's room flash-back scene.

 

Ah that. The "Pinocchio moment". Which surprised me when after a few seconds I realised it wasn't Pinocchio after all, but in fact Snow White.