Forbidden Planet (1956)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Ken S

  
  Come for the awesome production design, stay for a young Leslie Nielsen and Robbie the Robot!

• Spencer S

  
  Forbidden Planet is revolutionary for its time, a cinematic innovator for decades of sci-fi, and one of the funniest films I've seen lately. The humor is broad, most diegetic dialogue amongst the crew, but there are scenes that may be unintentionally funny on Nielsen's part.… More
  Forbidden Planet is revolutionary for its time, a cinematic innovator for decades of sci-fi, and one of the funniest films I've seen lately. The humor is broad, most diegetic dialogue amongst the crew, but there are scenes that may be unintentionally funny on Nielsen's part. Perhaps if the casting were different I wouldn't he haw every time Nielsen delivers certain lines, but the facial expressions and mock seriousness get me every time. The effects are incredible, and not just for the time. Footprints without a body attached to them are filmed in one shot, sinking into the planet's exterior as if they were tissue paper. The plot is simple: a crew of men check in with an older crew to chart their progress on the Earth-like Altair-4, but when they arrive only two have survived, cultivating their own form of civilization for the past twenty years. The cast is few and far between, but features the iconic Robby the Robot, who doesn't seem kitschy, but instead a badass drone, capable of almost anything except violence towards humans. There are scenes of hysterical proportions, danger, and romantic entanglements, all the while highlighted by the first score to be completely electronic, tones we're familiar with through old Star Trek episodes and spaceship controls. The two remaining crew members can be summed up as mad scientist and sexy distraction, making the film raunchy for its time. Even the monster that hunts down the crew (the murderer of the previous crew) is imaginative, evocative, and thrilling, using special effects to showcase sci-fi at its best, along with a back-story of a superior race wiped out by some unknown disaster, brilliant when it could easily have been a cheesy B-movie. Still as cool as Robby's ice trays, this is the Forbidden Planet.

• Melvin W

  
  This is one of the best sci-fi films of all time, and definitely my favorite. It's so much fun to watch, and Robby the robot is the best robot of all time. The plot, although somewhat slow at the start picks up and begins to be very interesting.

• Lewis C

  
  "Anywhere in the galaxy this is a nightmare." Forbidden Planet is a science fiction movie from the 50's, involving a spaceship crew that encounters danger after journeying to a far planet to search for an expedition that disappeared there twenty years ago. It largely… More
  "Anywhere in the galaxy this is a nightmare." Forbidden Planet is a science fiction movie from the 50's, involving a spaceship crew that encounters danger after journeying to a far planet to search for an expedition that disappeared there twenty years ago. It largely stays away from cheesiness that categorizes the 50's era of sci-fi (other than Robby the Robot and a hilarious looking "creature"). It's also lacking some of the charm that my favorite movies from that era have. It's very slow-paced at times, and there's a constant and unrelenting stream of exposition that only rarely is broken up by something actually happening. Forbidden Planet is an impressive technical achievement for its time, but I can't really recommend it for its entertainment value. People who prefer serious efforts over the more (intentionally or unintentionally) comical movies that were made around this time, may enjoy Forbidden Planet more than I did.

• David L

  
  It's the year 2200 AD and a spaceship has been dispatched to the planet Altair 4 to find out how the mission that were assigned to colony of scientists is going. Led by Commander John Adams, the crew find out that there are only two survivors and that being Dr. Morbius and his… More
  It's the year 2200 AD and a spaceship has been dispatched to the planet Altair 4 to find out how the mission that were assigned to colony of scientists is going. Led by Commander John Adams, the crew find out that there are only two survivors and that being Dr. Morbius and his divine daughter Altaia. Plus also there is multi-task robot Robbie. After being forced to stay on the planet for a little while longer Adam learns from Morbius that the planet was run by a superior race that wiped itself overnight and they left behind some amazing technology. Everything is not all that peaceful, while on this planet an invisible monster is terrorizing Adams' crew. Is there a relation between the monster and Morbius, now that's the question? Now, this is what you call a tremendous Sci-fi fantasy! Influentially groundbreaking Sci-fi with a deeply thoughtful story to wrap around its visceral goldmine. Yep, I'm not lying! As a youngster this was one of my favorite movies, sure I didn't entirely grasp the context, but the images it packed was a stunning sight and how could you not get a kick out of Robbie the Robot. No matter when your born, it's hard not to appreciate the skillfulness of the production compared with many amongst that period. So, it was a good treat to revisit it after not seeing it in quite awhile. What really amazes me that it was released in 1958 and even today the film designs and F/X still look pristine in shape! The film's edgy exterior is colorful, rich and detailed across the board, which mostly everything holds up to scratch. There are artistically stylish impressions evident and the backdrop is pretty much an oil painting. Throw in the usual snazzy gizmos' and gadgets to make you go "Wow, we're in the future!" Though, this visual touch does provide a very atmospheric creator, where everything seems bigger than its actually is. What also gave it a spectral feel was the bellowing electronic score that captures the barren feel with its range of bizarre and alienating sounds. The stimulating plot asserts a Shakespearean theme lifted right out of "The Tempest" with many scientific and human psyche complexities weaved into the spirited story. Plus throw in a love triangle sub-plot that's there to show Altaia sexual awaking. Just like other reviewers have mention it's a thinking man's (or woman's) story. Throughout the script where given thorough and metaphorical messages that are uniquely clever in its final revelation. These added additions seem to skyrocket it above the usually simple Sci-fi jib of its time and actually, the story doesn't feel that forced, or dated by today. The very talky script was pretty observant and it chucked in some humor to lighten it up, though dialog did get some leaden treatment at times. The film is pretty much a real slow grinder that exercises the suspense in many rigid stages in the dying half-an-hour, where the real terror begins. The moment we see the invisible beast in pure form, it's a purely great light-show and one of the more excellent scenes in the film. The minimal violence dabs in a bit of suggestiveness, but also provides an ounce of mayhem in one certain attack. The performances are all but sound with likes of Walter Pigeon as the stubborn Dr. Morbius and Robbie the charismatic robot making the more impressionable and convincing portrayals. Leslie Nielsen and Anne Francis as John Adams and Altaia were very good as well. Too bad Nielsen never got to do more roles like this one. Simply a reflective classic genre piece in every way. Worth checking out

• AJ V

  
  This is one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever in my opinion. If you love sci-fi you need to see this movie. It's exciting and there is a robot and a monster, and the story is brilliant for a space drama. I love it.

• Jani H

  
  "In the final decade of the 21st Century, men and women in rocket-ships landed on the Moon. By 2200 AD, they had reached the other planets of our solar system. Almost at once, there followed the discovery of Hyper-Drive, through which the speed of light was first attained, and… More
  "In the final decade of the 21st Century, men and women in rocket-ships landed on the Moon. By 2200 AD, they had reached the other planets of our solar system. Almost at once, there followed the discovery of Hyper-Drive, through which the speed of light was first attained, and later greatly surpassed. And so at last, mankind began the conquest and colonization of deep space." 'Forbidden Planet' is what one might call a scifi classic, a camp/cult movie. This was the first time I saw it and I review this solely on how it affected me now. The fact that it is over 50 years old has nothing to do with the overall rating. United Planets Starcruiser C-57D, captained by J.J Abrams, is sent to investigate what happened to the crew of Bellerophon, a ship that was sent to explore the Alpha Aquilae solar system. They disappeared 20 years ago, so I guess that the United Planets is as effective as our UN... But anywho... When the ship enters the planet of Altair IV, the captain is contacted from the surface by Morbius, a doctor of the missing crew. He insists that Abrams should not land because of their own safety and continue their ways. Abrams refuses and demands that Morbius gives him the grids for the landing spot. On the surface, the crew is greeted by Robby, a highly advanced robot, that takes the captain to Morbius. Abrams finds out that the crew of Bellerophon had died years ago. Morbius has spent the last two decades researching the advanced technology and culture of an ancient civilization created by a race called the Krell. Morbius has a 18 year old daughter that becomes interested of the younger men. At the same time that Morbius becomes afraid that his daughter would leave for Earth, the crew of C-57D are attacked by an unexplained force. What is the connection and can Abrams uncover the secrets that lie with Morbius and the Krell technology? 'Forbidden Planet' is a good film but it's a bit too slow for my taste. The action is almost limited to none and the film is also quite dialogue based. Most of the secrets are revealed thru long dialogues, leaving Captain Adams just listening without himself finding out the mysteries. Some scenes are very boring and left kinda in the open. The comic relief scenes with the crews cook getting some good ol' booze from the robot are also pretty lame. First I thought that the film was a kids movie. The opening scene when you're looking at the actors, it feels as if they're holding their laughter. I was like "Ok, not to be taken seriously then." And then when they landed on the the planet, Robby the robot is greeting them. I found out that this "advanced" robot became quite popular later on in other movies and series. But when the mystery of the Krell starts coming out, the script goes all Freud and subconscious on you. It suddenly becomes intelligent and needs your full attention. In my opinion, the kids are already gone out playing with their toys and the grownups are thinking that this is kinda far fetched. I just didn't buy it. 80 minutes of the movie, it's all slowly developing and then in 5 minutes EVERYTHING is revealed. If I would've concentrated on the film more (I admit, I was noding of at one point), the mystery wouldn't have been such a mystery. On a technical point of view, 'Forbidden Planet' is pretty functional. The matte paintings, set design are all good looking. The few special effects are, what I found out, made by Disney animators. The scenes set out in space are in my opinion one of the best looking in a film this old. 'Forbidden Planet' features an electronical score that nearly gave me a headache. It's just plain awful! I know that electronical "music" was a new thing back in the fifties but my oh my... Listen and be ready to cut yours ears off. One dimensional characters (except Morbius), an awful score and a script that doesn't really know how to do it right. Three factors that result in me not liking it that much. But the fact that this film has influenced several other moviemakers and scifi creators, my hat goes off to the makers of 'Forbidden Planet'. Would've there been a 'Star Trek' series without this movie. Gene Roddenberry has said that this film influenced him quite a bit. But to go back to the quote in the beginning of the movie. This film was released in 56, the Soviets launched a year later Sputnik on Earth's orbit and 13 years later Armstrong was presumably on the moon. If my calculations are correct, we should have had people on our outer planets.. yesterday? But to take the lame joke asside, the screenwriters had a good imagination on the hole thing. Space will be ours someday and these kind of films give our intelligent engineers ideas and spark to reach their dreams for the domination of the stars! I'm out. Seriously. Out of ideas... And I think it's better for all of you.

• Conner R

  
  While i'm definitely aware of the significance of this movie in terms of science fiction, I just don't really find it all that great. Unlike The Day the Earth Stood Still, this isn't all that intelligent or well written. The characters and acting are just nowhere near… More
  While i'm definitely aware of the significance of this movie in terms of science fiction, I just don't really find it all that great. Unlike The Day the Earth Stood Still, this isn't all that intelligent or well written. The characters and acting are just nowhere near good, the greatest character is Robby the Robot. Aside from the special effects of the time and the look, it's really not an above average movie.

• Tim S

  
  A wonderfully smart sci-fi classic with just a slice of cheese.

• Cindy I

  
  This classic sci-fi film, loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, is a sight to behold, and the film that dragged sci-fi out of the B-movie palaces and into respectable cinemas. Stars a very young, very serious Leslie Nielson before he discovered he was a comedian, a gorgeous… More
  This classic sci-fi film, loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, is a sight to behold, and the film that dragged sci-fi out of the B-movie palaces and into respectable cinemas. Stars a very young, very serious Leslie Nielson before he discovered he was a comedian, a gorgeous Anne Francis, and Walter Pidgeon as the scientist with a deadly secret even HE isn't aware of. Great special effects and set design -- especially the Krell generators and Robby the Robot -- and even something to stimulate your brain cells afterwards. I've seen this thing a dozen times (2 dozen?) and it never gets old. Yeah, the effects and the sensibilities are a little dated now, but that doesn't bother me one iota. A first-class film, and right up there with The Thing From Another World, Them! and War of the Worlds as my fave 1950's sci-fi films. Don't miss it.

• Anthony L

  
  Forbidden Planet is by far the most intelligent sci-fi movie made and its impact on modern cinema is vast. It's like the Citizen Cain of sci-fi movies. I always wanted a Robbie Robot growing up.

• Randy T

  
  For me, this is the quintessential sci-fi film, second only to <i>2001</i>. It's got everything you'd ever want from a good science fiction classic. There is a menacing alien, ray guns, a space ship, the best robot ever to grace the silver screen (sorry C-3PO),… More
  For me, this is the quintessential sci-fi film, second only to <i>2001</i>. It's got everything you'd ever want from a good science fiction classic. There is a menacing alien, ray guns, a space ship, the best robot ever to grace the silver screen (sorry C-3PO), and it's all set on a distant planet in a galaxy far, far away. Oh, and did I mention the beautiful damsel in distress (Anne Francis)? This is how William Shakespeare would do 'The Tempest', if he had grown up in the 50's reading Flash Gordon Comics and listening to 'Space Ranger' radio serials.

• Luke B

  
  One of the most inspirational movies of all time. Forbidden Planet still amazes today, as it doesn't come across as cheesy, despite it's age and a young Leslie Nielsen starring. Forbidden Planet has a very intriguing and mysterious premise. Information is revealed slowly… More
  One of the most inspirational movies of all time. Forbidden Planet still amazes today, as it doesn't come across as cheesy, despite it's age and a young Leslie Nielsen starring. Forbidden Planet has a very intriguing and mysterious premise. Information is revealed slowly over time, but even though there's a lot of talk, the sets, performances and creativity keep one entranced. The special effects are also still impressive, especially the "reveal" of the monster, which was done in a very clever way. This is an absolute classic that details the dangers of becoming overprotective over anything.

• Jason S

  
  A classic of sci fi. A little bit of retro treasure that is a good time with some popcorn and friends.

• First L

  
  Forbidden Planet is the 1950s proto-"Star Trek", and also, just as clearly inspired "Amazon Women on the Moon". Leslie Nielsen is commander of a space crew sent to relieve the previous crew on a distant space outpost. They fly in the 1950s airship of choice: The… More
  Forbidden Planet is the 1950s proto-"Star Trek", and also, just as clearly inspired "Amazon Women on the Moon". Leslie Nielsen is commander of a space crew sent to relieve the previous crew on a distant space outpost. They fly in the 1950s airship of choice: The Saucer. This particular model is incredibly noisy. When they finally arrive all they find is one last scientist named Morbius and his beautiful daughter (who plays kissing games with all the crew members). Robbie the Robot, the most famous movie robot ever (along with R2D2) makes his credited debut in this movie, as a helper robot Morbius created. The scientist has discovered the ancient ruins of the Krell, a race vastly superior to humanity, and has been studying them in secret. When the space crew try to find out what happened to the rest of the planet's inhabitants, they end up facing the same fate. Forbidden Planet is probably one of the better sci fi movies of the 50s, and no, that's not saying a whole lot, but it is saying something.

• El Hombre I

  
  Though it may seem hokey to some, this was groundbreaking in 1956. Most science fiction films of the period were low budget, often silly time fillers that were forgotten immediately after viewing. Notable things are the matte paintings for the gigantic underground power plant built… More
  Though it may seem hokey to some, this was groundbreaking in 1956. Most science fiction films of the period were low budget, often silly time fillers that were forgotten immediately after viewing. Notable things are the matte paintings for the gigantic underground power plant built by the ancient Krell civilization with that clean, industrial look of harnessed power, housed within a superstructure with ambient blinking lights. Then there's the electronic soundtrack provided by Louis and Bebe Barron that separates it from other films during that era. Then there was the introduction to Robby The Robot. A huge plus is the superb acting by Leslie Nielsen and everyone but Earl Holliman, who in the minor role of the cook, over acts as he gets loaded on bourbon. Also, adding to the film's greatness is the intelligent script, the marvelous special effects, the great animations and the imaginative photography of those color-cordinated sets. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=Forbidden-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/Forbidden-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• James A

  
  Great for its time and better than every Star Trek episode. You can find the blue prints that Gene Rodenberry stole to create his highly overrated show here. Also proof that Frank Drebin had Black hair.

• Chris W

  
  Given that this film is now 51 years old, I can forgive many aspects of it (such as dialogue, special effects, visual effects, etc) that would cause many people to regard this as a complete turkey in the vein of Edward D. Wood, Jr. However, the cheesiness and dated aspects of this… More
  Given that this film is now 51 years old, I can forgive many aspects of it (such as dialogue, special effects, visual effects, etc) that would cause many people to regard this as a complete turkey in the vein of Edward D. Wood, Jr. However, the cheesiness and dated aspects of this film actually become more beneficial to the film's impact and importance by adding to the campy factor and nostalgia, and by also showing just how much progression has been made in the field of film makng. Another great highlight is seeing a very young, well, younger Leslie Nielsen in a somewhat serious role-a real treat. The best sci-fi film of the 1950's, and one of the most influential sci-fi pictures ever.

• Michael G

  
  Really, really good stuff. The effects and sets alone are worth the viewing. The writing is intelligent for an early sci-fi movie even with the silliness of Anne Francis getting used as the town whore. It's kind of funny to see Leslie Nielsen in something other than some low… More
  Really, really good stuff. The effects and sets alone are worth the viewing. The writing is intelligent for an early sci-fi movie even with the silliness of Anne Francis getting used as the town whore. It's kind of funny to see Leslie Nielsen in something other than some low grade spoof and even stranger to see him young. But the fact that it was made over 50 years ago is probably what gets me the most. And Robby the Robot kicks ass!

• xGary X

  
  Classic sci-fi reinvention of The Tempest, it's horrendously cheesy by todays standards, oozing 50s kitsch and sexism, but it still entertains. Interesting to see a young Leslie Neilsen pre-production line spoofery and the "monsters from the id" idea is fun in a… More
  Classic sci-fi reinvention of The Tempest, it's horrendously cheesy by todays standards, oozing 50s kitsch and sexism, but it still entertains. Interesting to see a young Leslie Neilsen pre-production line spoofery and the "monsters from the id" idea is fun in a Twilight Zone kind of way.

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