Forbidden Planet

1956

1h 38m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

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Science Fiction

Adventure

Starship C57D travels to planet Altair 4 in search of the crew of spaceship "Bellerophon," a scientific expedition that has been missing for twenty years. They find themselves unwelcome by the expedition's lone survivor and warned of destruction by an invisible force if they don't turn back immediately.

Directors

Fred M. Wilcox

Writers

Cyril Hume(screenplay by)

Allen Adler(story by)

Irving Block(story by)

Stars

Walter Pidgeon

Anne Francis

Leslie Nielsen

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Videos7

Photos114

Top cast

Walter Pidgeon

Dr. Edward Morbius

Anne Francis

Altaira Morbius

Leslie Nielsen

Commander John J. Adams

Lt. 'Doc' Ostrow

Lt. Jerry Farman

Chief Engineer Quinn

Bosun

Crewman Grey

Crewman Youngerford

Crewman Strong

Crewman Randall

Crewman Lindstrom

Crewman Moran

Crewman Nichols

Crewman Silvers

Crewman (uncredited)

Crewman (uncredited)

Directors

Fred M. Wilcox

Writers

Cyril Hume(screenplay by)

Allen Adler(story by)

Irving Block(story by)

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User reviews4

Review

Featured review

9/10

**_The 50's prototype Sci-Fi film and... Anne Francis_** I didn't see "Forbidden Planet" (1956) until a full four decades after it's debut. I've seen it a few more times since then and here's what strikes me: For one, although Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is undeniably great, practically every primary aspect of Trek is present in "Forbidden Planet," which was released almost a decade before the first Star Trek pilot episode was produced (!). You name it: warp drive, Captain/First Officer/Doctor triumvirate, alluring space females, beam down/up (in a visual sense, at least), etc., it's all here in "Forbidden Planet." The flick combines Shakespeare's The Tempest with psychological concepts. The invisible id monster is horrifying when finally viewed. It looks like a serious rendition of the Tasmanian Devil. The concept of the monster is a fascinating revelation and I wasn't expecting such mature commentary in a 50's sci-fi flick. Furthermore, Dr. Morbius' elaboration on the former inhabitants of his planet, the Krell, is awe-inspiring to this day and the archaic special effects hold up well. This was the first major film to be set wholly in space and one of the first to feature an entirely electronic score (perhaps better described as a soundtrack). One thing that really blows me away every time I catch this flick is, of course, Anne Francis, who plays Altaira (or Alta for short), in her cute space outfits. I've heard some people complain about the scene where we are led to believe that Alta (Francis) is skinny-dipping, only to plainly observe that she's wearing a loose skin-colored bathing suit. Is this a cop-out on the filmmakers' part because it was 1956? Not at all because the bathing suit is clearly visible once she steps out of the water. Despite her sheltered innocent nature, let's give Alta some credit -- she was obviously playing a little coquettish joke on the Captain, to shock him and stir his mounting desire (which obviously worked). Please remember that "Forbidden Planet" is from 1956 and so understandably has dated aspects, like the sound effects, small portions of goofy dialogue, the Captain's communicator, etc. Regardless, it must be HAILED as the honored blueprint for numerous sci-fi films and TV series to come. The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot entirely in the studio in Culver City, SoCal. GRADE: A

Wuchak09 Jun, 2022