Forbidden Planet
A dutiful robot named Robby speaks 188 languages. An underground lair offers evidence of an advanced civilization. But among Altair-4's many wonders, none is greater or more deadly than the human mind.
Forbidden Planet is the grandaddy of tomorrow, a pioneering work whose ideas and style would be reverse-engineered into many cinematic space voyages to come. Leslie Nielsen plays the commander who brings his spacecruiser crew to the green-skied world that's home to Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis)... and to a mysterious terror. Featuring sets of extraordinary scale and the first all-electronic musical soundscape in film history, Forbidden Planet is in a movie orbit all its own.
Member Reviews
classic sci fi! - sooz
Forbidden Planet: damn this just doesn’t get old! i love sci fi, but i’ll be the first to admit that time is not kind to sci fi movies, especially when it comes to the special effects. while the exterior of the ship, along with Robbie the Robot, definite have a 50’s vibe going on, most of the other special effects and props still work surprisingly well. depicting the future is also problematic, but again Forbidden Planet manages to escape the ravages of time. the ship interior, with it’s navigation sphere and wireless communication systems - not to mention the ability to create it’s own eclipse as a shield against a powerful sun - can still pass for the future … but the animated sequences - the force field and the tour of the Krell civilization that’s where this movie still rocks. long live the Forbidden Planet!Wonderful sci-fi - adnanz
This isn't going to be a long comment; others have already said enough and my feelings on the film are very simplistic: it's a lot of fun. This is a movie it is simply impossible to tire of watching. On a technical level, the film is consistently impressive: it's well-shot, the special effects are still impressive from a purely artistic viewpoint, the painted backgrounds, while they look somewhat hokey by today's standards, provide the film with an eerie, alien feel, enhanced by the still impressive and under-appreciated score by Bebe and Louis Barron. The art and set decoration is miles better than most 50's sci-fi.
I must comment on how this works as a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest". It does a wonderful job of recycling the play's events and characters. This is by no means a film that a high school student can watch to compensate for reading the play, but it's a fine adaptation, its only cinematic competition being the excellent Western "Yellow Sky".
At a time when science fiction was reduced to pulp, "Forbidden Planet" did a lot to advance intelligent, thoughtful genre films. I can't recommend this film enough.
9/10A must see! - con_girl
It is amazing how well this movie stands the test of time despite being very much a product of its era. The innocence of the female lead and the patriarcal attitude of all around her could well drive one crazy, if you didn't remember when it was filmed. The theme, loosely based on "The Tempest" is a classic one (which just in case you know neither, I won't reveal here) that is quite well executed and reasonably well executed. We know that the humans and robot know more than they are telling but what they know isn't immediately obvious. It's quite clear that at least a couple of _Star Trek_(original series) borrowed heavily from this movie so if you are interested in the genesis of plots for that series, you should see this film.
But where the movie really stands out is in its special effects and matts. It is truly beautiful and painterly in a way that just isn't done anymore. They are a study in doing what needs to be done so that they don't look truly contrived but also never go over the top nor are they ever there just because it was possible to add some more flash.
Member Reviews
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classic sci fi! - sooz
Forbidden Planet: damn this just doesn’t get old! i love sci fi, but i’ll be the first to admit that time is not kind to sci fi movies, especially when it comes to the special effects. while the exterior of the ship, along with Robbie the Robot, definite have ...Wonderful sci-fi - adnanz
This isn't going to be a long comment; others have already said enough and my feelings on the film are very simplistic: it's a lot of fun. This is a movie it is simply impossible to tire of watching. On a technical level, the film is consistently impressive: ...A must see! - con_girl
It is amazing how well this movie stands the test of time despite being very much a product of its era. The innocence of the female lead and the patriarcal attitude of all around her could well drive one crazy, if you didn't remember when it was filmed. ...