It's a rare thing to finish a Steven Spielberg movie disappointed. The Hollywood maestro has been leaving audiences with a sense of awe and wonder for more than half a century and his latest film, Disclosure Day, is another technical triumph.
It's visually stunning and relentlessly entertaining.
But ...
Slight spoiler alert: Disclosure Day follows an attempt to expose a decades-long conspiracy hiding the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. But immediately after its thrilling climax, the movie fades to black.
The end.
Sorry, Mr Spielberg, but isn't the day after disclosure day when the story really begins?
For millennia we've gazed at the skies asking "Are we alone?" It's a question at the heart of human existence. Both answers have profound implications.
If we are alone then life on earth is surely the most precious substance in the universe. If not, then everything we believed about our place in the cosmos changes. The discovery of intelligent alien life would not just dominate headlines, but history.
So let's go forth where Spielberg dared not tread - the days after disclosure day. (Major spoiler alert: this is a tale starring human psychology, not alien biology).
Imagine waking tomorrow to the news that aliens exist. The evidence is irrefutable. The universe is heavily populated. Many lifeforms are more advanced than us. Some have already visited us. How would the world react?
Would humanity - as many optimists have suggested - put aside its petty differences, hold hands and launch into a global rendition of Kum Ba Yah? Or would the revelation fracture society even further?
Be honest. The answer is all around us.
We've never been more connected and informed. Yet we've never found it harder to agree on what is true. Within an hour of the startling news half the world would be screaming "Fake news!"
Deepfake AI footage would flood social media. Daily life would unravel on a scale that would make the panic buying and hoarding of the COVID pandemic pale in comparison. Mental health crises would spike.
Washington, Beijing and Moscow would race to curry favour with the aliens and gain control of their advanced technology. The global economy would plunge into chaos. Alien-worshipping cults would appear as traditional religions battled to adapt (although, having survived Darwin's theory of evolution and Copernicus's discovery that Earth is not at the centre of the universe, they'd undoubtedly find a way).
And Donald Trump would claim to know the aliens - "They're personal friends of mine and have some VERY interesting projects they want to discuss that will be worth TRILLIONS!"
A bleak scenario, isn't it, a hyper-accelerated version of our current fractured world. Little hope and fewer heroes. No wonder Spielberg decided not to go there.
But let's plough on because there could be a beacon of hope amid all this gloom.
Every generation has always feared the end of the world is nigh. In the Middle Ages the Black Death foretold the start of Judgement Day. In the 1940s the splitting of the atom was predicted to destroy the world. And catastrophe was supposed to usher in the year 2000 as a computer bug obliterated banking systems and infrastructure.
Revolutionary moments always invoke fear. But when the future arrives it never takes long for life to return to the mundane.
The pandemic separated us from loved ones, producing few positives apart from improving our expertise in baking sourdough bread. Yet, just a few years later, we're back to complaining about politicians, interest rates and traffic jams.
So give us six months and we would be blaming the aliens for everything from rising house prices to the potholes at the end of the street. And Pauline Hanson would be accusing the aliens of arriving illegally and threatening our way of life.
The discovery of intelligent beings from elsewhere would certainly tell us a lot about the universe. But those days after disclosure day would tell us more about ourselves.
They would underline how much we fear the unknown. But surely they would also prove just how adaptable we can be.
Now that's a Spielberg movie I'd love to see.
HAVE YOUR SAY: How do you think the world would react to news of intelligent life elsewhere? Are you more pessimistic or optimistic about the future these days? Have you seen Disclosure Day and what's your verdict? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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THEY SAID IT: "The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space." - Carl Sagan
YOU SAID IT: Asked whether he supported multiculturalism, opposition leader Angus Taylor looked like a deer in the headlights - or a golden retriever struggling to understand what he was meant to do.
"Can't teach a pampered pooch any new tricks," writes Bill. "Our golden boy keeps soiling the area away from the designated poo spot. Maybe he keeps remembering the Caymans. A farmer told me yesterday that the bush has not forgotten the water rights fiasco. Our boy needs to be re-educated. To be reminded all dogs need just one master, and not to sleep on the couch."
Jeanette writes: "Angus Taylor avoids answering questions about multiculturalism because saying what he really thinks may derail his political career. So he has two choices - lie or avoid. He chose to avoid in the misguided belief that he would get away with it."
"I'm not sure how much his parents paid for his private school education but they should demand a refund," writes Phil.
Sharon writes: "Tell Gus to ignore all the other noise. All he needs to hear is that he is a 'good boi'. Give him lots of pats and maybe buy him a new tennis ball. All that other noise is just the rabid rattling of the dog whistlers trying to shore up their fading political careers."
"Pauline Hanson has muddied the waters," writes Arthur. "Angus should concentrate on selling the Liberals' policies and ignore One Nation. There are many strong points in the Liberal policies which need to be explained clearly."
Rhonda writes: "I'm currently a patient in Sydney's largest, private teaching hospital. The staff are just like the Socceroos really, but perhaps more so. Doctors, nurses, therapists, caterers, escorts and cleaners come from countless countries. Multiculturalism at its absolute best. The staff wear a uniform and work towards a common vision. A visit here would help Angus and Pauline to develop an understanding of just how multicultural we are and put an end to their racist talk. We have been multicultural since the arrival of the Europeans. There can be no turning back."
"Gus was indeed TS Eliot's Theatre Cat," writes Old Donald. "Could put on a good show. This fellow would clearly swell a scene, but 'he is no Prince Hamlet' (who loved small and simple, by the way, eg 'to be or not to be'). Indeed he's an honest and reliable attendant Lord. Rest easy, Old Gus: the decent majority will always see you home safely."
Monica writes: "I have watched Angus Taylor on and off since his entry into politics. Sadly my original view hasn't changed - nice to look at but without substance. In short, beautiful but dumb."
"Angus may have been a Rhodes Scholar but he is the latest in the long line of the conservative side of politics who think they are born to rule," writes Tony. "The age of entitlement is over, Angus, so retire with your parliamentary pension and do something really useful like planting native trees."
Pope's view
