Rating: 
Summary: better with age
Review: I like to think that sci-fi movies get better with age. This movie does. I have'nt seen this movie for many years and the first time was on television. This DVD excited me in a couple of ways,that it had the widescreen version and the 5.1 audio. How I only wish I could have seen it in the theater. This one gets my high eyebrow.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre DVD edition of a great Sci-Fi movie
Review: I did an A/B comparision of this DVD edition with my Criterion LaserDisc. The LaserDisc won hands down! The Criterion LD edition is crisp, clean and the colors are correct. The DVD edition has lots of scratches, end-of-reel marks and the colors are all messed up. Come on, I KNOW DVD can look as good or better than LaserDisc! I wish the studios who own the rights to these movies would let a company who actually cares about making a good DVD transfer make the masters. I hope Criterion will be allowed to work their magic on this movie in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant sci fi tale with a sting
Review: This science fiction remake of Shakespeare's The Tempest is one of the few gems which still sparkle from its era. Leslie Nielsen gives a star performace as does Walter Pidgeon. The story is grippingly suspenseful as well as giving a thoughtful look at human nature, with some fantastic comic moments and great special effects for the time. With the strange twist at the end it makes for compelling viewing. Happily, it hasn't - yet - been remade and trashily jazzed up for modern cinema.
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Summary: A Classic on DVD
Review: One of the best. For it's day the effects are very good. The story moves along well. Having the widescreen available really enhances the film. This is a real classic that many sci-fi movies coming after it owe big time. I love having this on DVD.
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Summary: The reason DVD was created
Review: The DVD version of "Forbidden Planet" does extreme justice to this incredible movie which is one of the best science-fiction films ever made, and my personal favorite. It captures the film's original brilliance with crystal-clear sound and picture and offers a variety of options which prove the greatness of the DVD format. Offering both Widescreen AND Pan & Scan (which extremelly diminishes the beautiful cinematography) as well as both English and French versions [NOTE: watching the French version with English subtitles can increase the viewer's feelings of superiority and overall pretentiousness.] This DVD truly is the reason the format was created.
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Summary: Choose your preferred screen size!
Review: The big advantage of this DVD issue is that there are two versions on the disc. If you prefer the theatrical wide-screen (letterbox) version, that is on one side of the disc, and the pan and scan version that fills the screen is on the flip side. I have a big-screen monitor, but I prefer the Academy Aspect (1.33 to 1) pan and scan, which is actually done better than the previous-released VHS version. The detail of the sets and the expressions on the actors' faces are much easier to discern. On this disc, the choice is yours. Every DVD should be issued this way until we all have widescreen TVs! While others have made comments that the transfer to video was poor, I would disagree. There are some artifacts, but the film transfer quality is much better than the VHS version I purchased several years ago, and is about the same as those used by cable movie channels. Considering that the film is nearly fifty years old, this seems reasonable. As for the film itself, it is simply THE classic Sci-Fi film of the 1950's. It was so original in so many ways, and still seems fresh and new. It was one of the first major-studio big-budget attempts at Science Fiction, and it succeeds on every level. If you are a sci-fi fan and do not own this movie, it is a gilt-edged priority that you consider it. If you own an older VHS copy, the new DVD release is worth the investment. You will watch this again and again.
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Summary: Before its time
Review: This movie is fantastic. The special effects and Robbie the Robot were way ahead of their time. George Lucas might have gotten some of his ideas from this film, who knows?
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Summary: THE MOVIE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
Review: I FEEL SORRY FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T GET TO SEE FB ON THE BIG SCREEN - THIS IS REALLY THE ONLY WAY TO SEE IT. I SAW THIS MOVIE IN THE SUMMER OF 1956 AND IT COMPLETELY BLEW ME AWAY. I WAS A SCI-FI FAN WHO HAD HIS SHARE OF BEM MOVIES (BUGGED EYED MONSTERS) BUT FB ACTUALLY HAD A STORY, LOTS OF CHROME (OF COURSE IT WAS 1956) AND HI-TECH. NO STUPID ROCKET SHIPS THAT BLEW OUT TRAILS OF DRIED ICE BUT A SLICK FLYING SAUCER WITH HYPERDRIVE, 15 TIMES THE SPEED OF LIGHT.FOR A KID OF 8, THIS WAS A PARADYME SHIFT IN THINKING. WHENEVER I SEE SCI-FI MOVIES, I USE FB AS A MEASURING STICK. I THINK THE BEST PART IS THE ELECTONIC TONALITIES THAT ARE PERFECTLY MATCHED TO THE PICTURE AND ACTION.I REALLY COULD SAY A LOT MORE, BUT ITS A MUST TO SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful 50's sci-fi
Review: Has always been one of favourite sci-fi films. The DVD version I just purchased was superb - no blemishes at all. The trailer was fun too!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Sci-Fi movies ever made
Review: I'm about to order the DVD version. Some people have posted that the transfer is so so. That's a shame. Many people have pointed out how far ahead of its time this movie was. That is an understatement. Clearly, the propulsion method and overall handling of star travel inspired Rodenberry for Star Trek. It would be easy to imagine cruiser C57D being an early, pre-Federation warp ship. This is the first movie that I'm aware of that treated the breaking of lightspeed as a very big deal. Both superluminal travel and communications is treated as a very significant issue that physics of the future could deal with, but not easily. Most movies of the time, and much later, had star travel with rockets. This movie begs for a sequel or prequel. Harlan Ellison mentioned a few years ago that a group was shopping the idea around, but it turned out to only be an idea of a remake. Bummer. Imagine seeing the Krell as they build their great machine and then hell night, or imagine Robby running around 22nd century Earth, maybe throw in an encounter with a Krell colony that survived and is about to reinvent the same thought/matter machine. Until then, I'll keep checking out the original.
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