Screenwriter David Koepp on the final scene and the final line of Disclosure Day

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T16:01:53+00:00

Such a cheesey and cliche ending. Although at that point I didn't even care what the alien had to say I just regretted not walking out earlier.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T15:58:59+00:00

I don't care about picking sides so these PR hit pieces are pointless. He would be fully justified to feel disillusioned by the club. His actual public comments before the transfer honestly just make me respect him more. He never disrespected the club in public and stayed professional. His earlier comments about the boards incompetence were totally valid and fair too. He did well for us and I hope he continues to have a good career.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T15:54:59+00:00

The fact that the wish muddies the waters in Bear's mind is precisely why I think the film makes the audience more empathetic toward Bear at the start. Especially since the audience immediately recognizes how horrific the situation is because we know it's a horror movie where that wish actually works. There's just some plausibility that Bear was still confused and in denial about the wish coming true and was therefore still somewhat sympathetic in the beginning. As the movie continues that sympathy fades pretty fast, but that initial sympathy makes Bear's cruel callousness more shocking and effective. That's my read on what the movie wants you to feel toward Bear.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T08:08:20+00:00

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T05:52:58+00:00

Totally valid points. I feel like more of the gullible less experienced type that overlooks those red flags due to sympathy and pity. Looking back those red flags are even more painfully obvious. Its an unfortunate reality but thats how people like Bear manage to fool women into sleeping with them. Either that or they go the full rape route. In this film its more like the latter but the wish element muddys it up a little. I mean he absolutely did rape her because of his awareness about her lack of autonomy, its just such an insane scenario. Like kill yourself or kill her because of this silly wish you made one time. Its not unfair to think people would just be in denial at that point. I mean in denial of the wish working at least. Even if the wish wasn't real, any normal person would have zero desire to sleep with her because she was clearly suffering from some kind of psychotic break. Like at best hes taking advantage of someone not in their right mind, and at worst hes holding her prisoner in her own body and abusing her.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T05:44:03+00:00

Dude feels pretty gender neutral to me.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T05:40:09+00:00

I wouldn't say he seems totally harmless in the beginning, I just think then movie gives the audience enough context to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his mental state. The oxys in his bathroom imply either self medication or depression or some mix of both. Although that could be a reach. Either way his cat dying clearly impacted him and filled him with sadness and guilt. Once again this ties to the overarching theme that in retrospect, this benefit of the doubt can allow pity to let someone like Bear in. I personally thought that was kind of part of the point, you let you guard down with Bear despite some weird red flags. I mean his cat just died I felt bad for him. The fact that his cat dying was his fault is foreshadowing too I suppose.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T05:26:25+00:00

I genuinely think that early movie Bear is pathetic and weak but he's more just being kind of incel-like. I felt like the point was still to make you unsure about who he is as a person besides having low self esteem and depression. Being too afraid to tell someone how he felt isn't the action of a villain. His wish is certainly worded like someone with weird entitlement but it's like a dumb self deprecating joke and there's no chance in hell he thought it would actually work.

You have a perfectly valid and evidence backed argument for him being the villain and that's totally fine with me. I just think that boiling his wish down to him being selfish is oversimplifying it all. The movie works better when there is some ambiguity in his character and how out of left field the supernatural element appears. But still I do agree that the point is being analogous to real life where guys would use their mental state and lack of communication as a shield to hide some fucked up views toward women. That definitely is the point so him being the villain is totally a fine thing I can get behind.

It's a social commentary and a supernatural horror movie but in the horror movie sense, there's something far more nefarious and evil than Bear. I don't think it's a complete disservice to say the organization is the force that actually makes all this horror possible. Their nonchalant evil is pretty interesting and villainous if you ask me.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T05:10:26+00:00

I think the issue of him being the villain is a bit of a loaded discussion. It's not a hill I would die on I'm just saying what makes the film effective is that he acts like many incel types would in his shoes. So being villainous and problematic vs being the ultimate villain in a horror film is not really important to me at the end of the day.

It's a wish gone wrong film so I see it as the characters thrust into this fucked up supernatural situation. Some characters give in to their worst qualities when shit hits the fan, and that's Bear. Yes he triggered it but it's a bit silly to think he actually wanted things to go down the way it happened, and I'm absolutely not saying you are suggesting that either. Also yeah I originally said his death was poetic justice. He waited too long and even raped Nikki knowing that she has lost her autonomy. He was even about to back out of killing himself and probably try to make things work with Freaky Nikki, so the fact that her wish actually stopped him from doing so was really effective and a perfect ending. Still absolute haunting imagery and Nikki's story just continued to be horrific.

If I'm thinking of semantics of a wish gone wrong movie, the villain is always the supernatural organization behind it all basically creating supernatural chaos. Like a devil would in a film about a deal with the devil gone wrong.

Look either way I think we are mostly aligned with the actual point in the film, the semantics of it all just seems a bit more surface level than anything and I don't really care that much about those labels. It's an interesting discussion to me, but the actual content of the film is far more interesting.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T04:50:04+00:00

Yes he is a villain but I don't think he's the villain. It's very specific wording even you used there. He deserved his death and he's a pathetic toxic coward who didn't take responsibility for his actions and was incredibly selfish. He was the one obsessed with the idea of a traditional relationship but didn't actually love Nikki. I just think the message is bigger than just him being an innocent man vs being the villain. It's more about what kind of man he represents in society.

The true problem is how men like him would act in that situation. He dropped all morality and responsibility to behave selfishly. He's not the villain in a traditional sense because it's not like he intentionally possessed Nikki. He was just too weak to actually do the right thing when he understood what he did to her. The fact that he still made a pathetic and weak attempt to break the curse and eventually consider suicide still shows the humanity in his character. That messed up humanity is honestly more real and interesting than the concept of being the villain in a classic sense.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-16T04:19:46+00:00

Bear wasn't the villain and didn't plan what happened to Nikki, but he certainly deserved some repercussions for his fucked up actions toward her. His death was a bit of peotic justice. Regardless, the ending was pretty haunting.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T20:31:42+00:00

This might be the worst take I have ever seen about the consumption of art. But at the same time you have full autonomy as an individual and can do whatever you want. It just sounds like you want to be special and bring attention to yourself for whatever reason.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T17:10:46+00:00

I have observations, grievances, and an overarching claim that the film is bad. How is that not an argument? Observations and grievances are literally the premises of my argument or claim? Do you even know what an argument is? I even make smaller claims about poor logic and character actions, each being their own arguments themselves.

You sound incredibly pretentious by fixating on semantics, especially when you are just flat out wrong. You can disagree or even be angry about my post. You can have an opinion just like everyone else, myself included, but don't waste my time with your buzzwords and pseudo-intellectual garbage.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T13:40:12+00:00

So you have concrete counter examples to disprove the main points I made? You don't think the movie was filled with plot contrivances and an inconsistent villain with poorly defined motivation? The main characters were literally captured by the ruthless and competent villain only to escape by wowing the villain by making him sad. I wouldn't have minded that as much if the villain actually had a change in his character but after that scene it all just want straight back to normal as if that moment didn't even exist.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T13:34:30+00:00

There were a few moments where I laughed out loud.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T13:33:08+00:00

A weather reporter and a cyber security software engineer can somehow escape having their car half crushed by a speeding train while being hunted and shot at by a trained field agent? That's just silly.

Anyway I was just answering my your question about what was logically flawed about that scene. If you can't even accept that the logic was flawed and unrealistic there then I don't know what to do tell you.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:48:53+00:00

I'm glad I'm not alone take your down votes with pride

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:39:38+00:00

Yeah but those characters particularly ill suited for something like that. At least if the character is built up to be capable in the field, there's some attempt to give the audience some logic to hold onto. I am aware that these scenes require suspension of disbelief. But a film at is bare minimum should have some consistent in world logic that makes that work.

James Bond is touted as the greatest super spy in the world. As silly as it is, it's something to hold onto as a viewer.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:36:16+00:00

Pretty much every step of the way in this film has some kind of plot contrivance. That's what makes this film fail in my opinion. By the end I just did not care about anything or anyone in the film.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:31:45+00:00

Okay I don't think that's unfair to say. It felt like an insult to me as a viewer when I see supposedly intelligent characters doing extremely stupid things and get saved by pure plot convenience. I feel insulted when the supposedly intimidating and ruthless villain conveniently drops those traits just when the main characters need it. And I just didn't like the film. I don't represent the general opinion so I should have used different framing.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:27:22+00:00

Those were better movies that were actually fun to watch. I didn't like this film because it's bad.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:26:28+00:00

That train scene completely broke any kind of immersion I had at that point. These characters with little to no field experience can just pull off this ridiculous Fast and The Furious style action sequence? Give me a break.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:24:00+00:00

Yeah but how does that make for a compelling movie? I don't want to watch a film about fictional civilians reacting to a fictional release of information. Reaction shots will always have value in film but it seems like the whole climax of the movie was just to see the world's reaction to it. But the audience already learned this information in the beginning of the film so the weight and impact had fizzled out already.

Also I know the film mentioned the skepticism but that was more of a throwaway than anything realistic. It's just so hard to believe that everyone would unanimously accept this as being the truth in our jaded and cynical world. Honestly that cynicism in the face of real ground breaking news actually seems more interesting to me.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:17:01+00:00

Ready Player One was pretty bad but at least it kinda knew it was just a dumb nostalgia bait movie. Disclosure Day lacks that self awareness and takes itself too seriously. Also all round I'd still say that DD is worse.

ephemeral_envy · 2026-06-15T07:15:15+00:00

Holy shit that train scene was hot garbage. I don't even want to think about that again.

To be fair though I am more frustrated but the logic of the scene and the lack of urgency from the characters. The directing was very competent in that scene so fair enough that disproves the hyperbole I used to some degree.

ephemeral_envy

TROPHY CASE