Disclosure Day by John Williams
94 years old. Never fair to focus simply on someone’s age but if you want further proof that John Williams is a living cinematic legend, it’s that he is producing new scores at 94 years old. Disclosure Day sees his 30th collaboration with Steven Spielberg. The film is a complex one, it feels like a cinematic event but strangely, doesn’t play like one, instead trying to do something more cerebral. It has underwhelmed at the box office and has gained some mixed reviews with a bit of a gulf between critics and the audience. But the score is the focus here and 16 new tracks from John Williams in 2026 is not something to be sniffed at.
Each of the 16 new tracks has a one word title. The first track - listen… - is right away classic Williams. A sorrowful brass intro which is quickly swept up in strings that sound so very John Williams. There are hints in there of Marion’s Theme and something almost similar to his sinister Star Wars music around the 2.45 mark. There are hints of mystery and adventure in there and a tantalizing suggestion of hopeful possibility - the switch in focus between strings and brass throughout the four minute track keeps it fresh and engaging. This appears to be the main theme for the film which the importance of the world listen obvious to anyone who has seen the film.
memory… and dive… are the next two tracks and they are probably not as accessible as a listening experience, instead, they have an unsettling nature, especially the latter track which really captures the darkness and mystery of Colin Firth’s character in the film. chase… is our first action track from Williams in quite a while and with it’s thumping brass and tense strings underscoring the action, it feels very Williams. It’s brisk and springy with lots of percussion but it works really well for a two minute track and I would argue adds a touch of energy to the film at that stage. believe… follows and features a wonderful piano motif that makes me think of previous Williams dabbles with sci-fi. The way in which the subtle strings underscore the piano creates something classic but fresh - the last 45 seconds of the track take a more sinister approach and there it becomes a strutting piece that resembles something that you might have found on the score for Jurassic Park.
celestial… is a near seven minute track that is quite sprawling but very restrained. It culminates in a really quite moving motif on that is filled with subtle hope and wonder. It’s the perfect music for looking at the stars and wondering, maybe, just maybe. signs… is the closest the score comes to embracing the horror and fear element of all things extra terrestrial. There is a constant low and sinister hum throughout the track that build and builds to a swirl of sinister strings around half way through the track before returning to an unsettling ethereal quality which perfectly captures that sinister concern - and ending on quite the dramatic flourish.
The penultimate track disclosure… is quietly powerful with the return of that Williams piano and subtle strings combination. There are little, almost cute, percussive flourishes throughout as the piece becomes more layered and significant. With those layers, the sense of wonder increases and the fact that Williams does not seem afraid to keep control of the emotion behind the music, never letting it properly loose which would over power the seriousness of the film’s climax. It is masterful scoring to have that confidence, especially coming from the man who created the Indiana Jones theme or the Star Wars fanfare. Sometimes less is more, sometimes less allows the audience to really feel something deeply rather than the music leading them to a specific feeling.
reprise… in the final track and makes up the first section of the end credits music. There isn’t anything new but he builds on the already established themes, especially the one from listen… and layers it with brass and strings to create something more epic and wondrous - it is vintage John Williams. It’s a track that captures all the things that the film is really about. Nearly five minutes of wonderful film music to close out a score that is a real treat for any fans of cinema.
Disclosure Day is something special. It’s a brand new score from John Williams in 2026. Nothing to be sniffed at. Maybe it’s the number of scores now that edge away from that classical orchestral feel and instead embrace more electronic feel, but this feels like such a welcome return to what film music used to sound like. Granted, there’s not bombastic theme that will live on for years and years like Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Superman or Star Wars but you have to appreciate Williams’ commitment to be truly Williams in his music. Clearly Spielberg wanted it to sound like it could exist in the same sphere as Close Encounters or ET and The Maestro has delivered just that.
Favourite Tracks: listen…, empathy…, disclosure… and reprise…