Forbidden Planet (1956)

Misled, having been told this was Shakespeare in outer space, I found this enormously disappointing. Others seem to think this disaster was the first science fiction film. In 1956 ? Metropolis, genuine science fiction, was created in 1928. There were in any case dozens of greater films, of every sort, in far more glorious Technicolor, long before 1956. I thought this was supposed to be an updated version of Shakespeare, but other than the marooned father and daughter, I could find hardly any parallels. Perhaps the Id was meant to be Caliban. The best that can be said about this weird production is that it's a true curiosity. The only figure that remotely resembled a professional actor was Walter Pigeon, and the dialogue and events, especially those involving the would-be Miranda, reached depths of unique inanity.

Forbidden Planet starts off with a premise reminiscent of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest': A spaceship lands on a remote planet where the captain, his daughter, and the rest of the crew are exposed to perils that they must overcome 'ere they escape.What sets this film apart from its contemporaries was how many "firsts" it achieved: It was the first high-budget sci-fi film, the first film to depict humans traveling to another planet on a spaceship of their own making, the first film that takes place entirely on an alien planet, and the first film to feature an entirely electronic musical score (called "electronic tonalities"). Pretty good bragging points.Forbidden Planet cast a long shadow over the sci-fi genre, serving as an inspiration for many future offerings, especially Star Trek TOS. Notable parallels: a saucer-shaped ship, sliding doors, phaser pistols, military/naval crew exploring a new planet and finding that things are Not What They Seem, the perils of toying with super-advanced alien technology, and discovering that the inner workings of the mind are just as fathomless as the vast reaches of space.Elements that I personally found amusing: Leslie Nielsen in a serious / dramatic role, the super-intelligent / super-strong Robbie the Robot (who would later make an appearance in The Twilight Zone), delving into Freudian psychology, the Disney-style animation, and the 50's haircuts / 50's attitudes / 50's turns of phrase that firmly anchor this film to a specific decade.An unqualified 10 stars for a film that still inspires wonder over half a century later, and a must see for any old-school sci-fi / Star Trek fan.

(Flash Review)A space crew travels to planet Altair to investigate a mission that has lost contact over the last 20 years. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by a bulbous, cute and smart robot. He takes them to the remaining people of the original mission. Much of the crew is overly distracted by the presence of a young female and the man in charge would rather have them leave. While helping them to resupply their space ship, he shares much knowledge of his research, which includes an intellectual species called Krell. What have they discovered and will it pose a threat? The remainder of the movie is a mix of humor, thinking mind games and a bit of mystery. It's a fun piece of 50's Sci- Fi with some clever and corny styles, sets and machines. Pacing, cinematography and dialog could have been stronger.

It is just frustrating to think of what Forbidden Planet could have achieved with its stunning visuals. Some of the scenes are unprecedented with an epic scale, and Robbie feels like a real robot. However, the director's incapability of storytelling and character design makes this film a total mess. Now I am not saying the storytelling should be as the way it is now, since it is a rather old film; however, even Gone with the Wind, which is older than this film, uses more intricate storytelling techniques. Therefore time is not an excuse. Most of the story is presented verbally, and not in a good way. The entire Quinn history is narrated, by an actor who is quite terrible at reading lines. This is still okay though since we are constantly introduced to novelties of the Quinn visually and the film sure has some good set design and sound effects crew. When it comes to the third act, however, the film grows into a total dumpster. Acting goes phenomenally bad, along with some of the worst lines I have seen in a while. Dr. Morbius also died for no reason, at least I did not get how he died. And do not even mention the self-destruction system: pulling the disk and turning off the switch... Seriously? This seems a bit too easy and caution less for a SELF-DESTRUCTION sequence don't you think? Another problem is the character design. It is annoying to see how the director and writers seem to not care about the characters at all. The main character, the skipper dude, is so unlikable. I am not blaming the actor for this, though he is also terrible at the third act, but he is just so blunt and I cannot care less about him. And here is a thing: if the main character is characterless and unlikable, the audience automatically turns to someone who has some character, good or evil, and in this case Dr. Morbius, who, though being an egocentric murderer, still seems more of a human than the captain, and is therefore more relatable! As a matter of fact I just wanted the monster to kill everyone except for Morbius at the end, because all the other characters are just worthless and stupid. And then we come to Altaira. At first I thought maybe the daughter is so characterless because she is a robot, so that it is also kind of a twist, right? But no, she is just characterless because the writing is bad and lazy. Oh don't forget the romance. We get this cliché exotic girl who knows nothing about sexual experiences though she is a human and studies biology. That I can be sold if I have to, but her romance with Morbius? What? So this girl kisses one of the crew members, and the captain stops it, and the girl just falls in love with him? Just WHAT? Is there anything I missed out, or is this movie so lazy and bad that it just includes a love affair to sell tickets? I can see someone enjoying this. I enjoyed it a bit for Robbie's sake. I mean, can you believe it, the robot gets the most characterization in the entire film!