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Summary: Where Sci-fi Started
Review: If you would like to see where most of the modern Sci-fi effects came from, watch this movie. It is a little slow sometimes, but the plot is very good. An Earth ship is sent to check on an outpost many light years from earth. When the ship arives, the only survivor(a professor of science) on the planet asks the ship to leave. The ship's captin decides that he wants to find out what happend to the other people, so he lands to start an investigation. He is warned of the danger but accepts his fate. He is welcomed by the professor. Soon, the crew of the ship is being attacked by an unseen monster. The mystery is where the monster is comming from.
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Summary: One of modern sci-fi's greatest inspirations!
Review: The initial reason I took a look at 'Forbidden Planet' was because I'd heard that it influenced both Gene Roddenberry when he developed 'Star Trek', and George Lucas when he was conceptualizing the 'Star Wars' saga. Any movie that was an inspiration to the two biggest sci-fi franchises of all time (and two of my faves) is definitely worth a viewing!
After growing up watching 'Airplane!' and 'The Naked Gun', it's kinda strange seeing Leslie Nielsen play a more-serious role as the ship's commander. No double-takes in reaction to strange sight gags? No droll one-liners with the straightest face one can imagine? Definitely something I'm not used to...
Then there's the introduction of one of sci-fi's ultimate legends- Robby the Robot! Being one of the more fortunate cast-members of this little adventure, Robby would make many subsequent appearances through the decades in TV-Land, including a throw-down with the 'Lost In Space' robot, and staying over at Mork's place for a few days. I think he's hanging out in some Hollywood museum somewhere nowadays. If anybody knows where Robby's hangin' out nowadays, let me know!
Although I'm not an absolutist when it comes to movies in the widescreen, there are exceptions. This movie in particular is one of them. I remember two particular scenes- Robby giving a monkey a bit of a zap to make him behave, and the Cap'n having to vaporize a tiger- that went the full width of the screen, and looked really weird when the studio panned & scanned it for the VHS release. In this case, for maximum cinema enjoyment, wider IS better!
'Late
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Summary: raptorduck
Review: This movie rates as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, easily in the top 10. Certainly it is my favorite pre 1970's sci-fi movie. The cinematography was truly memorable and story line captivating. It has everything, horror, action, great scenes and plot, and even a beautiful maiden. I wish they had made a sequel so I could learn more about those amazing Krell. Robie the robot was introduced by this movie and many other firsts of special effects. I can never get enough of this great classic.
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Summary: Forbidden Planet Review
Review: Forbidden Planet is arguably the true progenitor of the modern science fiction epic. The influence this movie has had on the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien and Aliens is clearly seen in the visuals, structure and suspense of this ground-breaking motion picture. For newcomers to this classic, compare the poster art (which reflects the sci-fi taste of the time) with the actual movie and you will see how far ahead of its time Forbidden Planet was. I was fortunate enough to have seen this movie during its original release when its special effects were still state-of-the-art. I can still remember hiding my face during some of the scenes while my big sister kept me informed of what was going on. After all of these years it is still a joy to watch. Forbidden Planet is truly timeless.
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Summary: scarry
Review: I saw this movie when i was young and it scared me a lot but i was enthralled with the concept,s and the best thing about the movie i think was the sound affect,s they made it for me . It was a movie before it,s time . It was a sci-fi horror in the best style and to date i have found few movie,s that have moved me in the same way apart from the dalek.s of course I am at present looking at thing,s like startrek and star gate but they do not hold a candle to the like,s of forbidden planet or the original movie the thing but the remake was brill An thought,s on my comment,s are welcome if it be good or bad . If i offend i cry your pardon a quote from the dark tower book,s by stephen king
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Summary: Flying Saucers, Ray Guns and Robots
Review: When I was a boy this film was the drive in draw! Anne Francis was everything a beautiful heroine should be! This movie has everything from the monster Id and IQ magnification to hyper drive. Star Wars and Star Trek owe this movie! Leslie Nelson who became a star again in The Naked Gun gives a good solid performance as the Captain. When this tape wears out I will be truly sad!
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Summary: Remake? Aaauuuggghhh!
Review: This movie is a classic argument against "remakes". What could they do better a second time around? The effects? Most of the time the Id monster is invisible - THAT'S about as scary as anything can be! An unseen terror! The script? Look at the total butchery and stupidization of other recent remakes (Mission: Impossible II leaps to mind, but there are dozens of others. Maybe ALL the remakes of the past ten years). This film is a monumental achievement in cinema Science Fiction - light years beyond the BEM films of its era and in another universe altogether to the Buster Crabbe Buck Rodgers/Flash Gordon serials. I guess with Shakespeare as a basis (though a tenuous one!) you were starting from the best possible material. Man, even the soundtrack was a breakthrough. The two guys who composed it actually INVENTED the instruments with which it was performed! Get this movie! Then write to whatever studio is contemplating a remake and tell them to go climb a tree! Or dare them to make a movie as ground-breakingly bold and as genre-bustingly literate as Forbidden Planet was in the 50s. Reckon they can do it? It'll NEVER happen! Go ahead, Hollywood, prove me a liar!
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Summary: The Tempest as a sci-fi classic
Review: Forbidden Planet is undisputibly a science fiction classic. It was one of the original three films that single handedly redifined the genre in the pivital '50s(the other two being The Day the Earth Stood Still and The War of the Worlds) by showing an intelligent, relatively plausible plot and effects to match. It did to sci-fi what had been done to horror in the 1930s by Frankenstein and the Universal monsters by taking the public out of the Flash Gordon gutter. It also introduced the world to Robby the Robot, a classic character who has shown up in many other films and TV series since, helping F.P. achieve its cult classic status. The film itself is pretty simple. A crew of astronauts of the 23rd century are sent to investigate the silence from a planet inhabited by scientists, he finds all but two have died. Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira have somehow survived a hideous Monster From The Id which roams the planet. As corny as that sounds, it is handled like The Godfather. The character are excellent as well. Walter Pidgeon is great as the scientist Morbius and Captain Adams (Leslie Neilson in an unbelievably serious role) odviously inspires Star Trek's Kirk. If you haven't seen this classic- or even if you have, buy this DVD.
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Summary: "It will remind us...after all...that we are not God..."
Review: "It will remind us...after all...that we are not God..." --Leslie Nielsen as Commander J.J. Adams in the last scene in FORBIDDEN PLANET. WHAT A CAST!!! WHAT A SCREENPLAY!!! WHAT FANTASTIC MUSIC!!! WHAT A ROBOT!!! WHAT A MOVIE!!! The producers of FORBIDDEN PLANET took Shakespeare's "The Tempest," teleported the play to the year 2200 in outer space, threw in the United Planets flying saucer C 57 D, a rugged, handsome space commander, a mad scientist and his beautiful daughter, a long dead race called the Krel, an invisible Monster from the Id, the best robot ever to appear on a movie screen--Robby--and a terrific cast with LEADING MAN OF ACTION Leslie Nielsen, beautiful Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly, Earl Holliman, and character actor Richard Anderson, plus:Freudian Psychology, a murder mystery, and a classic boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl love story with a white hot finish, and it's nothing less than the best science fiction movie ever made!!! Or as Leslie Nielsen says in FORBIDDEN PLANET's final scene, "It will remind us...after all...that we are not God..." Chari Krishnan RESEARCHKING
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Summary: Serious Science Fiction
Review: If you have a moment -- and I assume you do -- I'd like to talk about Forbiden Planet. It's one of the films (along with She, Island of Lost Souls, The Day the earth Stood Still, and a handfull of others) that transformed science fiction films, from their undeserved status as kids' stuff, to serious depictions of the human condition...not to mention the alien condition, which is so often and unsettlingly similar to our own. And speaking of unsettling resemblances, have you ever noticed how much this film resembles Star Trek? Can't be helped. There's a certain "family resemblance" in a lot of s-f, and the ship/crew/new worlds gimmick was in use long before Captains Adams and Kirk appeared. Anyway, the producers of Forbidden Planet could hardly sue anyone for plagiarism, now could they? The story is that of The Tempest; though certain events have been changed and liberties taken, the core of Shakespeare's play remains unchanged. Prospero (i.e. Morbius) guards his daughter and island-bound privacy jealously, and uses his magic to confuse and terroroize the party of sailors who've landed there. It's a small step from this to Altair-IV; with the Krell to provide Morbius' magic, Robby the Robot to act as both Caliban and Ariel, and some good old techno-huggermugger thrown in to help obfuscate things further, it's a different (but still similar) story. It's also a damned good story, a powerful depiction of a man destroyed by his darkest subconscous obsessions. It's a story that demands to be taken seriously...and in spite of such distractions as a drunken robot, not to mention the clumsiest seduction ever committed to celluloid, take it seriously we do. One of the most important reasons this film was taken seriously was its special effects. Many of them were, and still are, some of the best of their kind. Even by today's advanced standards, a good deal of the visuals are real-looking and seamless. Watch the scene where Adams vaporizes the tiger; it's almost impossible to see the effects edit. And even though Altair is obviously a soundstage, the Krell constructions beneath Mobius' home achieve complete reality. This feels like -- no, is -- an alien environment...which leads to another great visual: Morbius, Adams and the Doc, walking on the gantry, infinitesimal specks against the massive Krell machinery all around them. And even the soundstage set has its moments -- when the monster gets caught in the force-field, and you get your first good look at its misshapen, demonic form, it's an instant edge-of-your-seat moment. Whatever you were expecting, it sure wasn't that! As to the actors -- well, Walter Pidgeon pretty much carries the film, which is really only fair as his character is the key to everything. Anne Francis, who would later go on to immortality in a lyric from Rocky Horror Picture Show, is very good -- and absolutely gorgeous! -- as sheltered (but game) daughter Vena. And Leslie Nielsen, a very funny guy who persists in doing unfunny movies, here does an admirable job with a role that was written to be one-dimensional. Nielsen somehow stretches J. J. Adams to two-and-a-half dimensions -- now that's acting! (they've given Oscars for less!) The supporting cast perform their various script-related functions (hey, just like Star Trek!), and do so very capably...though I can't imagine why a tight-run ship like Adams' would have an alcoholic cook -- or, for that matter, why such an advanced ship would even have an old-fashioned pots-n-pans kitchen in the first place. Oh, well...even in spite of such obvious mistakes, Forbidden Planet is still a classic, a great film in any category, and will be loved by anybody who loves movies.
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