Josh O'Connor reveals ‘Disclosure Day’ car chases as fans call Spielberg's thriller outdated

Josh O’Connor has shared a behind-the-scenes look at how Steven Spielberg created the nerve-racking car chases in ‘Disclosure Day’, revealing that while the scenes looked dangerous on screen, the practical filmmaking techniques made the experience surprisingly safe.

At the same time, the film continues to spark a very different conversation online, with Reddit users debating whether its central premise feels rooted in another era.

Josh O’Connor: 'It was crazy, intimidating, terrifying'

In exclusive bonus footage released ahead of  home entertainment launch, O’Connor explained that Spielberg relied heavily on practical effects for the film's high-speed chase sequences.

Instead of actually driving, the actor sat behind the wheel while the car was mounted on a low-loader or controlled by a stunt driver positioned in a pod above the vehicle. "It's the most crazy, intimidating, terrifying concept," O'Connor said.

The actor also admitted action films were far outside his comfort zone. Known for dramas like ‘Challengers’ and ‘La Chimera’, O'Connor said playing Daniel Kellner meant tackling action scenes, train stunts and high-speed escapes.

He also praised Spielberg's efficiency, recalling that one of the film's elaborate train sequences was completed in just two days of shooting.

Reddit thinks the movie belongs in another decade

While many viewers have praised practical action, the film's biggest online debate isn't about its car chases, it's about its story.

A Reddit discussion has gained traction with users arguing that Spielberg's vision of how humanity would react to a world-changing alien revelation feels disconnected from the realities of 2026.

One of the most common criticisms is the film's climax, in which the protagonists race to a television news station to broadcast classified information. Several users argued that in today's world, such information would spread first through social media rather than traditional television.

Others felt that modern audiences have become too skeptical to instantly believe extraordinary footage, especially in an era shaped by AI-generated content, misinformation and conspiracy theories. Some commenters suggested that even authentic alien evidence would immediately be dismissed as fake.

Not everyone agreed, however. A number of Reddit users defended Spielberg's approach, arguing that a live television broadcast could still carry more credibility than a social media upload, which might be quickly removed, buried by algorithms or dismissed as fabricated.

Others pointed out that the movie itself shows clips from the broadcast spreading across phones, suggesting it isn't entirely disconnected from today's digital landscape.

Old-school Spielberg or outdated storytelling?

The discussion highlights an interesting divide. O'Connor's behind-the-scenes comments reinforce that ‘Disclosure Day’ embraces old-school filmmaking, relying on practical stunts and handcrafted action instead of heavy CGI.

Ironically, many viewers believe the film's storytelling follows the same philosophy. For some, that nostalgic, Spielberg-style approach recalls classics like E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

For others, the idea of racing to a TV newsroom instead of today's fractured online information ecosystem makes the film feel more like a thriller from the early 2000s than one set in 2026.