Rate It

Seen it:    
Not seen it: 
Review: 
 
clear rating

Share It

Rating Averages

My Friends Not rated. () Want To See Not Interested
All Flixster 4.0 Stars (3067) Want To See 1017 Not Interested 4947
Female 3.0 Stars (794) Want To See 263 Not Interested 1281
Male 3.5 Stars (2273) Want To See 754 Not Interested 3666

More Like This

Tip

If you liked this, then you'll also probably like...

Got another recommendation for someone who liked this movie? Add it to the list!

Got an opinion? Use the buttons to vote on all the suggestions people have added.

If lots of people vote, the best suggestions will rise to the top.

The Tempest (86%)
This Island Earth (71%)
Planet of the Vampires (73%)
Pitch Black (58%)
Mission To Mars (44%)

Plot: A starship crew goes to investigate the silence of a planet's colony only to find two survivors and a deadly secret that one of them has.

Post it anywhere Link it anywhere
Skin art by kimbermcleod. Unskin this page.

Recent Reviews

  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 24, 2008
    For me, this is the quintessential sci-fi film, second only to 2001. 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.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 9, 2008
    One of the coolest, most dreary scifi paranoia flicks of the 50s. Set on a colony where two survivors of a disaster are trapped, the secret they keep may kill them all, including rescuers from a starship.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 17, 2008
    This movie is awesome! A neat Sci-Fi film, the effects and set pieces were nice. A bit corny at times but it's still an awesome film.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 10, 2008
    Man, why everything gotta be adapted from The Tempest.

    (Okay, because it's the most overtly supernatural...sure.) This is really a fantastic movie that I should have watched a lot more closely before being involved with the stage "sequel," Return to the Forbidden Planet. Now, I'm not big on the old 50's style sci-fi. I think most of those movies resort to cheap, terible spectacle to carry the movie and I honestly believed that Forbidden Planet would try the same approach. After all, the thing that it is most known for is the image on the poster of Robbie the Robot. Robbie would come back throughout pop culture in many forms, but this is his big debut. There's even a featurette on him on the DVD (Or in my case, HD-DVD. I bet on both horses.) But there is some good stuff here.

    Let's stick with the spectacle for a moment. There is a ton of spectacle in this movie. But while the other movies were terrible at showing spacemen doing spacestuff, Forbidden Planet decided to up the bar and show visuals that still impress me in a world that had Tom Cruise fight super-aliens. Really, these are some epic effects. Sure, I know that most of it comes from a really good matte painter, but that's impressive in itself. There's some of those effects that I just sat there and wondered how they did that. I also have to draw attention to the on screen animation. While not impressive coming from laser pistols, the animated effects that came from the invisible id monster show a really nifty, memorable design. (I saw this movie as a child and one of the few things I really remember was the outline of the id monster.)

    I do love how the fact that in 1950, all male astronauts were, of course, untstoppable, clever, forgivable rapists. Honestly, I don't understand that. Mind you, they painted the girl to be completely naive yet irresistably sexual. For someone who doesn't know what filthy is, she sure seems to do very sexual things all the time. Also, there's a bit of a jump between being wildy ignorant of acceptable culture to being very presentable and normal by the end of the movie. But that's maybe what really defines this as science fiction.

    Storywise, it's a little ridiculous, but somehow held my interest. I loved seeing Leslie Nielsen in yet another serious part. I always think Naked Gun, no matter how young he looks and to see him deliver lines about transwarp whatever is fairly entertaining. Yes, he supports the story quite well and there is a lot of imagination to this movie. It really rides the line between character story at points and super-sci-fi / backstory technobabble, but manages to keep with the character stuff. I do find it amusing that people in the 1950's know little about the workings of the human mind and psychology so that Leslie Nielsen, a ship captain, has to have the id explained to him. Sure, a little ridiculous, but still a powerfully fun film.
  • 2.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 5, 2008
    it kinda little bit of bored in '1956 film about flying saucer and the robot(robby the name of the robot).
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 11, 2008
    Ambient soundtrack and classic robot, this crazy sci-fi is quite dated, but still great in some aspects like the humor and theme. Just a bit corny now. It did not age as well as some other 50's sci-fi classics.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    April 11, 2008
    Shakespeare as Space Opera. By today's standards, it looks a little cheesy. Get past that and you have a wonderful film. Easily one of the best SF films of its era and quite possibly of the last half of the last century.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    April 4, 2008
    Direction artistique fascinante. Des effets spéciaux assez révolutionnaire pour l'époque. Bon scénario.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    April 2, 2008
    What seems like a 50s campy sci-fi film is actually very intelligent, with authentic techno and psychobabble. Great plot, great pacing, and surprisingly awesome special effects. A true classic
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    February 9, 2008
    A real classic sci-fi film. The sets and effect are worth the price of admission alone. Its possibly the coolest looking sci-fi film from that time, thanks to it being the most expensive film at the time. A great script and some fun performances from Leslie Neilsen and Walter Pidgeon. Forbidden Planet also introduces the iconic Robby The Robot.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    February 2, 2008
    Robbie the Robot really steals the show. And there's Leslie Neilsen long before "The Naked Gun." One of the best old school SF flicks made. Doens't that pinging and electronic noises near the end of the movie (the Monster approaches) just send a chill down the spine?
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    February 2, 2008
    It's nice to see a sci-fi film that takes place in the future where things are actually going well for the human race.

    Forbidden Planet has is also way ahead of it's time feeling like it could've been made at least ten years later, and with a pseudo-serious script that the film sort of loses itself in towards the end. It just feels like a great episode of 60's Star Trek, Robby the Robot is a lot of fun, and well...it's definitly not a feminist feature. Still some great 50's sci-fi.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    January 27, 2008
    Inspired by William Shakespears "The Tempest" This is a classic SciFi movie it has all the classic elements. A must see for any SciFi Fan
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    January 10, 2008
    wonderful sci fi movie. cool effects, all-electronic score, pioneering sets, and a well-crafted intelligent plot. acting was a little cheesy at times, but it was cool to see a much younger Leslie Nielsen. forerunning filmmaking and a kind nod to Shakespeare.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    January 9, 2008
    Excellent photography. Excellent special effects. And Leslie Neilson in a SERIOUS role. Who'da thunk???
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    January 1, 2008
    i have rewritten my review for this particular film due to complaints of good relatives. any image you got of me from this interview shall be deleted from your memory 3 . . 2 . . 1. poof. now get on with your lives and watch good movies.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    December 10, 2007
    A friend's father said to me that you didn't know Science Fiction until you saw this movie and he was right
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    November 21, 2007
    The only movie where Leslie Nielsen plays as well as Robby. Vintage, electronic tonalities very much like concrete music...
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    November 8, 2007
    One of the best movies ever created. Without it there would be no star trek or star wars... And what kinda life would that be?
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    November 1, 2007
    One of the classic science fiction films that has inspired many more films and TV shows. In the narrative at the start of the film it's interesting to note that man finally lands a rocket on the moon in the last decade of the 21st century. It certainly makes a change to have a technological prediction in a film to happen later than predicted. Leslie Nielsen (of Naked Gun fame) plays the captain of a starship sent to check on a science team on a remote planet. Upon arrival they discover that all but one man and his daughter have died in mysterious circumstances. Things take a turn for the worse when the crew of the ship also start to die. The film itself is definitely entertaining and is a must-see for any fan of the science fiction genre.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    October 5, 2007
    Decades ahead of its time, the SFX still hold up well even today. Loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, this was made when Sci-Fi was still wondrous and mysterious. The early electronic score is moody and atmospheric. Robby the Robot is an iconic character and Anne Francis looks awesome in this film. Leslie Nielsen gives an excellent performance as he always does.

    It's a true Classic! Don't miss it!
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    October 2, 2007
    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.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    September 30, 2007
    This movie is everything that was awe inspiring and wonderous about science fiction in the early years. A united humanity exploring the final frontier, wicked cool gadgets and special effects, and A Thought-Provoking Message.

    I started reading Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and that lot in grade school. And while these stories and this movie were all made YEARS before I was even born, it still stoked the fires of wild imagination deep within me. I'm eternally grateful for that.

My Friends Said...

Forbidden Planet Recent Reviews

Register or sign-in to see your friends' reviews !

Comments

  • gih3
    Leslie, and cast were fantastic...
    posted 221 days ago

Details

  • Rated: (G)
  • Directed by: Fred M. Wilcox
  • Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Drama, Classics
  • Released: March 15, 1956
  • DVD Released: April 18, 2000

Recent News

Movie Quizzes

Forbidden Planet Quizzes