Notable cast/crew: Walter Pidgeon as Dr Morbius. Anne Francis as Altaira Morbius. Leslie Nielsen as Commander Adams. Warren Stevens as Lt "Doc" Ostrow. Richard Anderson as Chief Quinn. Earl Holliman as Cook. Robby the Robot as Himself. James Best as Crewman (uncredited).
Running time: 98 minutesDirector: Fred M Wilcox
Verdict: Loosely based on The Tempest, Forbidden Planet is a landmark sci fi movie that heavily influenced movies and television shows for decades. It was the first film with an all-electronic score. It also was the first film depicting faster-than-light travel and the first to take place entirely on another world in interstellar space.
The look of the film is outstanding mixing matte paintings, effects, and sound stage shots. You can tell that Star Trek was heavily influenced by this from the look of the planets (in space and on the ground) to the look of the ship's interior, even down to the relationship between the commander, executive officer, and doctor (think Kirk, Spock, McCoy). In fact, Warren Stevens even guest starred on Star Trek.
The plot is pretty standard sci fi, and it would have fit right in as an episode of Star Trek. Walter Pidgeon is excellent as the dark, mysterious Dr Morbius. Interestingly, he's not a villain, though you keep expecting him to be. Anne Francis is fine as Altaira, although she's mainly there to show off her "how's she keeping covered up in that dress?" outfits. Leslie Nielsen had not yet become a comedian and is in full leading man mode. The film is sprinkled with several character actors who would go on to greater notoriety later: Warren Stevens, Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man), Earl Holliman.
I can't convey how surprising it is to see how good the film still looks for a movie made in the mid-50s. This isn't a low-budget popcorn flick like so much sci fi was in that decade. It was a big budget film that was wildly successful. Part of it's popularity goes to Robby the Robot who was used in later films and TV appearances. Some of the sets were recycled for use in The Twilight Zone. It would be another decade before Lost in Space re-introduced a companion/servant robot. Very much ahead of its time, it stands out because so few other sci fi films were made with this level of care. It's easily one of my favorite sci fi movies.
Out of five bananas, I give it:
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| How'd you project her without an R2 unit? |
The look of the film is outstanding mixing matte paintings, effects, and sound stage shots. You can tell that Star Trek was heavily influenced by this from the look of the planets (in space and on the ground) to the look of the ship's interior, even down to the relationship between the commander, executive officer, and doctor (think Kirk, Spock, McCoy). In fact, Warren Stevens even guest starred on Star Trek.
The plot is pretty standard sci fi, and it would have fit right in as an episode of Star Trek. Walter Pidgeon is excellent as the dark, mysterious Dr Morbius. Interestingly, he's not a villain, though you keep expecting him to be. Anne Francis is fine as Altaira, although she's mainly there to show off her "how's she keeping covered up in that dress?" outfits. Leslie Nielsen had not yet become a comedian and is in full leading man mode. The film is sprinkled with several character actors who would go on to greater notoriety later: Warren Stevens, Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man), Earl Holliman.
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| A roaring fire, a beautiful girl, all we need now are cocktails and smooth jazz! |
Out of five bananas, I give it:
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