Thoughts On...Forbidden Planet(1956)

I recently checked out this sci-fi classic from 1956 for the first time. At least all the way through anyway and it was for what it was a really good flick. Sure it had some corny moments. The chef who just wanted Robby The Robot to make more booze? Some cringe inducing dialogue, and a not so faint feel of rape sprinkled throughout the film, but the cringe inducing dialogue at least induces laughs in the audience but there is nothing funny about the rape and it really cheapens the experience. Also the music score is horrendous. Grating and irritating to the max.

But what Forbidden Planet gets right it really gets right. The newcomer Robby The Robot is a scene stealer and I can see why he became a phenomenon for years after the film's release. The acting for the most part is really good. Walter Pigeon is phenomenal as Doctor Morbius and he really commands this viewer's attention in every scene he is in. Leslie Nielsen is also really solid as the Captain proving that he can pull of playing it straight and that he isn't just the comedy type. If there is a weak link when it comes to the acting it is probably Anne Francis. She is nice to look at but man she is wooden.

Wooden acting by the female lead aside what really makes Forbidden Planet a sci-fi classic is it's subject matter. The themes and tropes present in it, aren't really anything that hasn't been seen before.(I.E. Aliens creating technology man doesn't understand, and etc.) but it had never been seen on the screen before in such spectacle. The special effects in this film are a major highlight and the production design of the Krell's endless machine is quite impressive to look at even now in the year 2014. And the the creature design of the ID monster and the execution of it is top notch.


The thing that really stands out in the end is the ID. It steals the show right out of Robby's cold metal hands. It is a terrifying creation that had to have kept 50's kids up at night for weeks. It is a very violent creature. Especially for 1950's standards. I am shocked it even got past the censors. The idea that unbeknowst to you that your bad thoughts and inclinations could manifest themselves physically is a sobering and scary one that really sticks with you for days after viewing the film.

 The monster within us all.

Overall, Forbidden Planet(1958) is one of those films that has earned it's "classic" reputation and stands the test of time with it's messages and themes that will always be powerful and relatable to any generation. Current or future.

Robby The Robot would return in Fred Olen Ray's crapfest The Phantom Empire, starring Sybil Danning.