Forbidden Planet (1956)
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Forbidden Planet Movie Review
Forbidden Planet is a 1956 science fiction film directed by Fred M. Wilcox and starring Leslie Nielsen and Walter Pidgeon. It is one of the best SF movies of all time.
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“Nice climate you have here. High oxygen content.
I seldom use it myself, sir. It promotes rust“
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A starship crew in the 23rd century goes to investigate the silence of a distant planet’s colony only to find just two survivors, a powerful robot, and the deadly secret of a lost civilization. The 1950s were one of the best decades for the science fiction genre, but they spawned only two timeless, truly classic movies. One is ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ and the other is this clever, imaginative masterpiece.
Drawing inspiration from Shakespeare and Freud in its psychological third act, Forbidden Planet ultimately proved to be hugely influential on the genre, especially ‘Star Trek’ itself. The very idea of a mad scientist whose id would manifest as a monster wrecking havoc on this planet was a brilliant one and this remains one of the most original ideas that the genre has explored.
Yes, Dr. Morbius is an unforgettable character that is superbly developed and quite complex as he isn’t your standard mad scientist villain archetype, but rather a flawed man whose arrogance got the worst of him. Walter Pidgeon was fantastic in the role and perfectly cast. He got by far the best and most interesting scenes in the movie in terms of dialogue and exposition.
The movie also saw the introduction of a genuine movie star in his own right in the form of Robby the Robot. He looks quaint by today’s standards, but he is capable of so many different commands and his voice is very memorable. The movie explored how artificial intelligence can counter problematic and/or insidious input in a very interesting way. Robby is also genuinely funny at times, making for a terrific sidekick and the first meaningfully utilized robot character in cinema history.
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My only issue here is that the other characters all left a lot to be desired in terms of memorable personalities, arcs or development as a whole. Leslie Nielsen is very good as the commander and he is both charming and competent, but the character is underwritten and the same should be said for all the other men on the crew.
As for Anne Francis, she is a bombshell type of female character meant to entice both the crew and the heterosexual male viewers, thus the character did not age well. Yes, everybody wanting to have sex with her while the father is very much still there was both odd and frustrating, but this comedic and romantic part of the story is thankfully only minor, so anybody who would go to great lengths to criticize this movie just for that one issue is deeply biased and foolish.
Forbidden Planet is, yes, highly sophisticated in its deeply psychological narrative that was before that a genuine creature mystery and a highly engaging exploration of a planet with an alien civilization long gone. But the movie is also timeless in its audio-visuals. It aged like fine wine because it looks and sounds absolutely incredible.
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The score is electronic, very evocative of the SF genre and also continuously eerie and mysterious, thus perfectly accompanying that atmospheric mood of the picture. The cinematography, production design and costumes are all stellar, but it is the groundbreaking special effects work that stood the test of time the most. Due to clever incorporation of animation, the monster looked truly phenomenal back then and it still looks better than most 80s CGI movies or Marvel movies today. The alien planet itself with the rocky terrain, green skies and red trees was instantly iconic and so uniquely imagined.
An audio-visual marvel that has aged like fine wine, Forbidden Planet truly looks and sounds incredible. The electronic, moody score was perfect for the genre while the effects were ingenious as the film looks better than most movies released even today. Influenced by the works of Shakespeare and the ideas of Freud while itself influencing ‘Star Trek’ and many other genre properties in the future, Forbidden Planet was brilliantly written with a complex, sophisticated narrative that is still highly intriguing to follow. Minor issues aside (the unnecessary romantic subplot and some forgettable characters), it remains the best science fiction film of the 1950s after ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’.
My Rating – 4.5
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