Forbidden Planet: 50th Anniversary Edition (Dbl DVD) (Multi-Title)

The plot is simple, but this is worth watching. It is probably the first science-fiction movie that was given serious thought about the plot and special effects. It also brought us the precious Robby the Robot.

The 1950's saw an explosion of science fiction movies unlike anything that had occurred before. In fact, in the two preceding decades science fiction had been relegated to Saturday afternoon serials aimed at kids: fare such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Elements of science fiction otherwise migrated to essentially supernatural horror fare like Frankenstein, Dracula,The Wolf Man and The Invisible Man. But the late forties had seen the advent of the Atomic Bomb in 1945 followed by the twin events of Kenneth Arnold's original sighting of "Flying Saucers" and The Roswell Incident in 1947. When Robert Heinlein's Destination Moon, a relatively big budget feature, proved a big success in 1950, the race was on for the Science Fiction market. The success of The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951 proved that serious minded films were really possible within the genre. By the time Forbidden Planet came along in 1956, there were easily twenty or more sci-fi releases per year, many of them of the attack by space invaders or giant mutated creatures variety. 1956 also saw The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Earth vs Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles to Earth and Godzilla King of Monsters. Forbidden Planet took a different tack: the Earth isn't in the film at all and the "creatures" are not the usual atomic mutation. it has become in retrospect one of the most famous and beloved of science fiction films. The good news is that it still holds up, as fascinating and intense as ever. The film was given quite a big budget and boasts a cast of solid actors, glorious if obviously man-made sets and animated special effects and an innovative electronic score. Oh yes, and Robbie the Robot's premiere, too. the acting mostly focuses on a stentorian-voiced Walter Pigeon as the intense Dr. Morbius who seems to be hiding something and a young, up and coming Leslie Nielsen, in those days a leading man, as Commander Adams, leader of a mission to find out what happened to the crew who were exploring the fourth planet of the star Altair. Anne Francis provides a love interest for the Commander and Earl Holliman, who became a fixture in Westerns, is the mission's cook and provider of comic relief. The film divides itself into three parts. In the first part the crew ignores Dr. Morbius's plea not to land, and their encounters with Dr. Morbius, his daughter Altaira and their faithful robot, Robbie. Viewers with today's heightened sensitivities to various cultural and political issues need to be advised that the first part is full of 50's attitudes that would be considered sexist today. One needs to notice that all of this was intended as a basically humorous setup and that there is no usu in criticizing the mores of past times from a future standpoint. The second section is the heart and soul of the film, where Dr. Morbius takes the Commander and ship's Doctor Ostrow on a tour of the immense underground machine left by the Krell, the previous occupants of the planet who died out eons ago. Morbius explains the entire history of the Krell as they wander through an animated set that retains its awesomeness today. It's an enthralling scene. The third section begins with a series of attacks on the crew and their ship and the resolution of everything. Forbidden Planet was far more than the usual attack by giant bugs or saucers (in fact, the crew's ship is a saucer and not a rocket). It ultimately leads to thoughts about the fragility of life on any planet and the fitness of beings who claim to be its rulers or stewards. it neatly takes on the underlying anxieties of the Fifties, the Atom Bomb and Cold War, and questions whether mankind is ready for power of this destructive capacity. A very fine and worthwhile film.

It's funny, me being a fan of science fiction and movies in general, why it is that it took me so long to get around to watching Forbidden Planet (1956). Part of it is I feel as if I've already seen the film, as clips from it are usually always shown whenever someone does a documentary on science fiction in film, as it's just such an influential and amazing piece of work. Now, I've heard that this movie is loosely based on Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, but since I've never read it, I can't comment on comparisons between the play and the film. The film stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, and Robby the Robot (Yes, the robot gets a screen credit. If you look on the Internet Movie Database, you'll find it's even listed as an actor). The story is about a spacecraft sent to learn what exactly happened to a previous spacecraft and its' crew, which had been deployed many years prior, and has since not been heard from in some time. This current mission is under the command of Commander John J. Adams (Nielsen), and soon find themselves on approach to the destination planet of the now lost ship. On their arrival, they get an ominous message, from the planet, issued by a member of the original crew, Dr. Edward Morbius (Pidgeon). Despite his warnings, they land and are soon met by a robot named Robby, who escorts them to Morbius' rather posh abode. Here we learn all the members of that fated crew have been killed off, except for Morbius and his daughter (whom Morbius had when he procreated with another member of the original crew), Altaira (Francis), by some unseen, yet completely nasty, force, to which Morbius and his daughter seem immune. Not expecting to find any survivors, Commander Adams now has to change his plans to include trying to contact his superiors and receive further instructions on how to proceed, despite Morbuis' protests that they should leave as soon as possible, leaving him and his daughter behind so that he may continue his research. What is his research? Well, it seems that many hundreds of thousands of years ago, the planet was inhabited by a highly advanced race of being called the Krell, who mysteriously vanished seemingly overnight in comparison to their collective power, intelligence and abilities, and while their cities have long since gone, a great deal of their technology survived underneath the ground, and Morbius has managed to gain some understanding of these beings, even being able to pry bits of information and such in the 20 odd years that he's been here. This amazing discovery is certainly worth writing home about, and so Commander Adams begins having the men disassemble the ship to create a device powerful enough to send a message back to his superiors, and in the meantime, starts making time with Morbius' daughter, who's never seen a man outside of her father, and is uneducated in the ways of woo. Things seem to be progressing until an unseen late night attack on the ship damages some crucial elements needed for communication, so an electrified perimeter is set up to prevent the approach of any more unannounced and unwelcome visitors. We soon find out the fence works, as a huge beastie, normally invisible, now highlighted by the electrical current, tries to attack the ship, killing a few defenders. What exactly is the nature of this beast? Is it somehow connected to the Krell? Does Morbius know more than he's letting on? Will any get off this planet alive? What the heck were these Krell up to anyway? Forbidden Planet is inspirational, in my opinion, because it presents an well developed and thought out story above and beyond the usual `scary alien' fare we saw in the early 50's. Similar to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), it brought a level of intelligence to the genre while managing to also entertain. Basically, whatever level you view the film on, it will provide enjoyment. It also hallmarked the first film appearance of Robby the Robot, probably one of the most popular, recognizable, and enduring icons in science fiction film history. Also, it is important to note, this is the first film to utilize an entirely electronically composed musical score. Stereotypical characterizations appear to create the various roles, but since the film was releases a good 14 years before I was even born, I can't help but wonder if the stereotypes started here, given the influence of the film. The production value overall is lavish and indicates little expense was spared in bringing the story to life. The special effects, even by today's standards, look remarkably good, and the realism in the matte painting backgrounds is truly spectacular. The tour of the huge underground Krell facility really stood out in my mind, properly highlighting the enormity and intricacies at the same time. Plot holes? Yeah, I noticed a few of them (like how'd Robby show up at the end despite every circuit being blown? And that self-destruct mechanism at the end...that seemed a bit convenient and lacking proper safeguards one would normally apply as to not accidentally cause it to go off), but these tend to pale in comparison to the overall film. As a whole, I think anyone would be hard pressed not to acknowledge this as one of the more influential films in the genre, and just a lot of fun in general. Warner Brother's gets points from providing an excellent widescreen print (the DVD is double sided, with fullscreen on the flipside), but loses some in their complete lack of special features other than an original theatrical trailer. I find it pretty sad that this film doesn't rate the special features we so often see on new releases. Normally I'd be happy with a good looking print, but surely certain films deserve some preferential treatment, and this, in my opinion, is one of them. Oh well... Cookieman108

Forbidden Planet (1956), an American science fiction film that is such a classic, so influential, such a pioneer, and still quite watchable, definitely one of the best science fiction films of the 1950s and arguably the best. Set in the 23rd century, the movie is about a United Planets mission to the distant exoplanet Altair IV. A survey expedition on the ship Bellerophon sent there 20 years ago vanished without further contact, and Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nelson, looking younger and a bit different if you all you know him from is Airplane!) is charged with commanding starship C-57D on a mission to find out what happened to the crew of the Bellerophon. In short order they contact seemingly the only person on the barren desert world, a Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), who first warns Commander Adams from even landing, insisting everything is fine (despite apparently being the only survivor on a lonely world) but reluctantly giving landing coordinates to Adams’ ship when Adams insists. Upon landing, Adams and his crew find out that indeed Adams is the only official survivor from the crew roster, though there are two others, his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis) and the robot that Morbius built, the now famous Robby the Robot (played by Frankie Darro, voice by Marvin Miller, both uncredited in the film). Oh and whatever unseen force ripped limb from limb all the planet’s human visitors except Morbius and Altaira, who somehow are immune. Things seem fine at first, with Altaira growing to like several of the crewmen, first other humans she remembers except for her father, and Adams and crew eager to know the secrets the planet holds, such as what Dr. Morbius is so intensely studying away from the eyes of others, the vast scientific advances that are embodied in Robby, and what exactly happened to the rest of the crew of the ship Bellerophon. Oh and a couple developing feelings for Altaira. Then things aren’t fine, as the horrible, invisible force is back, ripping crewmen apart limb from limb and Adams and his men determined to stop this creature, thinking the solution is tied to the mysterious work Dr. Morbius does. Good film, good pacing, loved the alien scenery, the otherworldly UFO music, the movie is noteworthy for so many reasons, including being a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, being a huge influence on Gene Roddenberry’s creation of Star Trek, the introduction of Robby the Robot, the first film to have a robot be an integral character to the film, arguably the first big budget science fiction film ever made, the first science fiction film that depicted humans using faster-than-light technology to visit a planet outside the solar system (up till that time, movies always showed humans visiting the Moon or some planet in our solar system), and the first film to ever have an electronic musical score. Effects and production values definitely aren’t bad, brilliant for the time.

I'm a huge science fiction fan. I've read hundreds of science fiction books and watched dozens and dozens of science fiction movies. I've watched Forbidden Planet with Walter Pideon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen and Robbie the robot at least 20 times. INMO the movie on DVD is in the top 5 science fiction movies of ALL time. Look at all the many 5 star ratings by other reviewers. Trust me...this DVD is fantastic. Filmed in Cinemascope.,the color is great and so is the sound. We see the crew on a flying saucer type spaceship being told on no circumstance to land on Altair 4 by Professor Morpheus but they land as the Captain has orders to find out what happened to the first expedition on Altair 4. Earth spaceships now have hyperdrive allowing many times the speed of light. The special effects for 1950ish movies was spectacular but of secondary importance. This movie won awards mainly because of INMO superb acting by all 3 main actors/actress and a fantastic plot. All of the members of the previous ship were either killed by some monstrous invisible beast or vaporised when the first ship tried to escape. The only survivors were Professor Morpheus played by Walter Pidgen, his wife who later died of natural causes and his now grown up beautiful daughter played by Anne Francis. Leslie Nielsen is the Captain of the second expedition sent to take survivors back to Earth if in danger. Innocent Morpheus's daughter has never seen a man other than her father and falls in love with the Captain. Morpheus shows the Captain and the ships Doctor where he got a brain boast from a Krell educational machine. The Krell were super intelligent beings over a million years more advanced than us. They made a titanic 80 miles by 80 miles self repairing machine to instantly create matter anywhere on the planet. Morpheus shows the Captain and Doctor a small part of the machine via a shuttle Krell transportation tube. The view is impressive. However in one night, at the height of their intellictual achievement the Krell were all slaughtered. We learn it was the murderous monsters from their subconscious minds..the ID... that destroyed them using the almost unlimited power of the machine. We also see a talking super strong robot called Robbie that was created by Morpheus after taking the brain boost. He is the cook, butler, and handyman. It does everything and creates 60 gallons of Kentucky bourbon for the cook of the spaceship. Unfortunately members of the crew are torn apart by an invisible beast created by Morpheus subconscious mind. The invisible beast can survive nuclear disintegration beams because it is constantly recreating its atomic structure using the unlimited power of the titanic Krell machine. The beast is smashing into the home through steel plate and melts super strong Krell metal because of the unlimited power of the machine. Its now out to kill the Captain and Morpheus daughter and Morpheus can't stop it and neither can Robbie the robot with his blasters. Morpheus super brain boosted subconscious mind with the power of the Krell machine is sending death to all. Lots of great action, a superb plot, and great special effects for a 1950ish movie. I won't ruin the ending for you. If you like QUALITY science fiction, this DVD INMO is rated in the top 5 science fiction films of ALL time. They did a great job remastering it and putting it on DVD. A must have for any science fiction collection. Rated 5 stars plus. As a bonus, the DVD "The Invisible Boy" was thrown in staring Robbie the robot who somehow comes from the 24th century via time travel to the 1950s. We see a computer scientist, his wife and their young son who rebuilds Robbie. Robbie helps the boy Timmy become invisible and both go on a rocket to orbit the earth. The main big computer (who gains control of Robbie the robot) has developed self awareness and wants to take over the Earth and either enslave humankind or destroy them. This movie INMO was total crapola with poor acting, a poorly directed plot, and cheesy cheap special effects. Here is an example of bottom 10% science fiction. The Invisible Boy bonus DVD rated 2 stars. The only thing good on it was Robbie.

This is one of the best SciFi movies of all time (#1 being "The Day The Earth Stood Still"). Based (loosely) on Shakespeare's play "The Tempest", it brings together an outstanding cast (look at the cast list) to tell the story of genius ultimately controlled, then destroyed, by the "mindless primitive". The special effects are astounding; espcially for the time. I find the electronic music to be sometimes distracting and there are places where it's impossible to tell if the sound you are hearing is a monster, wind in the rocks, or the soundtrack. The movie, with its award winning special effects and soundtrack and its fine cast of actors appears to be quite rough in places (more on that later) but this is the way the movie was made. The acting is quite good. Walter Pidgeon is perfect as Morbius. Leslie Nielsen as Adams does a credible job in a dramatic role (but you can't help slipping to "Naked Gun"). I won't run down the rest of the cast except to say that Earl Holliman is, at best, light comedic relief; I could never figure out why he was really in this movie. The disc set containts the movie, specials, and trailers on one disc with "The Invisible Boy" (which I have not yet seen) on the second. One special is a set of "lost" footage which is really a set of test shots of scenery but which is really quite interesting (watch as the camera moves around the planet and note that it looks like you are really circling a planet and not looking at a prop) The other special contains scenes that were shot but not part of the original release. A couple of notes here. There is one scene of Adams dressing down three of his officers just after the communications officer is killed. The disc has that as a deleted scene and it is missing from the movie on this disc but that scene is included in every version of this movie I have ever seen. Another deleted scene is the "unicorn explanation" that I have never seen but that perfectly explains why Altaira has the affinity for animals that she does and why the tiger must later be killed. I had already surmised the reason but this was the actual confirmation (after 50 years!!). There is also a scene that seems to be rewritten on the disc (where Morbius asks Altaira to deny her love for Adams. When I watched the disc she just stands there but I recall her as saying something to the effect "No, not even if I could"). One of the specials also describes how the movie was apparently left roughly cut to rush it to general release instead of waiting for a finished product. I'd always wondered why there were obvious cuts in the film; now I know. I bought this set to fill in my collection of great, old, classic, SciFi films. And, while I have seen the film at least 50 times, I still enjoy it and I still see something interesting in the special effects or the sets. It's worth getting.

Great movie, but the story line was a little hokey when compared to current good modern sci-fi movies. The special effects were very impressive for the time and had an effect when I originally watched it as a young man. I wanted to watch the movie again on a large screen color TV. The movie was worth it for nostalgia purposes.

Go ahead, rub your eyeballs, but you read correctly; this may be the best science fiction movie ever. Ever. So many of the best sci-fi writers and movies made since Forbidden Planet were inspired to some degree by this movie, and it's easy to see why. I've read that this movie itself is based on Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew'. I don't know if that's shrew (sorry), but can any movie based on Shakespeare be bad? Consider the excessive amount of schlock that Hollywood has produced over the decades; no, Shakespeare will do fine, thank you. Please. The storyline won't be covered here, as that has been done so well in many other places. Okay, okay, here is a very very short synopsis: In the future, an Earth ship goes to distant planet searching for survivors of an earlier expedition, find a mad scientist with dangerous knowledge and a beautiful daughter, all bracketed by a terrible force that can't be stopped. There. Happy now? Special effects in this 1956 MGM movie are only slightly dated by today's standards, which is absolutely amazing. Special effects a good movie does not make (a lesson Hollywood has forgotten or frequently ignored), and in Forbidden Planet they are used only on an as-needed basis, not frequent nor overblown, and serve the storyline without overpowering or interrupting it. Well done! In fact, perfectly done. What makes the best movies so good is: Story (again, thank you Mr. Shakespeare), interesting characters (Star Wars epi. I, II, & III: FAIL), and the interpersonal relationships (why? because we're human, that's why). Forbidden Planet has interesting characters, jealousy, budding romance, murder (alluded to, not shown) a robot, and an invisible, fearsome, "electricity monster" (as my son called it). What's not to like? The only thing missing that would ennoble perfection to this movie would be the inclusion of Denise Richards, but hey, she wasn't born yet, so I've got to give a pass on that one. By-the-way, the 'electricity monster' is visually scary still, even today, which is also amazing. And the inclusion of the beautiful Anne Francis is just as good as (better?) than Denise Richards. Maybe. Your call. Even though the star, Leslie Nielsen, is known for his (mostly) excellent later comedies (Airplane!, Police Squad!, The Naked Gun, etc.), he handles drama well enough (but does comedy better, in my opinion), and Anne Francis is beautiful and beautifully cast as the Mad Scientist's daughter. Walter Pidgeon's scientist-character really is mad, since he wishes to be left alone, and Pidgeon's acting is nuanced and human, making his character so intimately believeable. Robby The Robot is worthy of mention, being one of the best robots ever to come from any science-fiction movie or series. Even the secondary and tertiary characters are respectably acted and believable, however small the part. Impressive. Mind you, Forbidden Planet isn't the pinnacle of fine acting, but good enough to make the story good and the characters part of it, without distraction or pause. The sets and colors used are reminiscent of the original Star Trek series ten years later, which I feel should not be underestimated insofar as the beauty and cleanliness that it adds--but never detracts--from the story and characters. Poor lighting, choice of colors, and unnecessary set detail can derail a good story, but that never happens in Forbidden Planet. All that you see on screen is in a state of equilibrium, and works. It just seems that the director and producer got virtually everything right in this movie. I'd mention the changes and/or improvement in the Blu-ray version, but my silly Sony blu-ray player won't play it (and a few others as well). Lastly, this movie could appeal to anyone, not only sci-fi buffs, but everyone who enjoys a good story, good acting, and good visuals. My highest recommendation of any movie, any movie type. Get it!

I've always loved Forbidden Planet from the first time I saw it on television. By today's standards, the pacing is slow, the fx are a little silly looking, and there's a certain amount of sexism inherent in the culture of the day. That said, the story, loosely based on Shakespeare's play "The Tempest" is marvelous. Set in the 2200s, a group of space explorers goes looking for the remains of the crew of the Belerophon, an exploration science vessel lost 20 years previous. When the crew arrive on the planet, they are warned away by Morpheus, the only survivor of a cataclysmic event that killed of the rest of the crew of the expedition. Due to the insistence of the commanding officer J.J. Adams played by Leslie Neilson (in the unfamiliar role of a serious leading man) the ship lands. We then meet Robbie the Robot in his first appearance ever, who takes the commander, his second in command and medical officer to meet Morpheus (played by Walter Pidgeon). As the story unfolds, we find out about the Krell, a benevolent race that lived a 1000 years ago, that mysteriously vanished 200 centuries ago. We also meet Altaira, Morpheus' daughter, who (naturally) falls in love with the dashing commander. Forces that killed off the Krell, and the crew of the Belerephon start to go after Adams crew as well. Without spoiling the ending, Morpheus sacrifices himself and the ship, with Altaira aboard take off, to see the planet with all the knowledge of the Krell explode into nothingness. It was filmed and treated as an A quality fim, and influenced many of the great science fiction brought to the big and small screens. I highly recommend this for a quite movie night in with the lights low, the phones turned off and a big bowl of hot buttery popcorn.

La película es muy buena, la calidad de imagen es muy buena para ser un DVD.

Un film seminale dal quale hanno attinto a piene mani tutti i film di fantascienza successivi, (se potevano disporre di un budget comparabile). Mentre tanti telefilm hanno ricicalto costumi, mezzi e apparecchiature. Tra tutti ricordo un episodio di Colombo con Robbie il robot. Il film non ha sofferto del passare del tempo, l'unico elemento "antiquato" lo si può riscontrare eventualmente nella storia d'amore. L'edizione in blu-ray è nitida e curata quanto ci si aspetta, pur non essendo al livello di altre uscite restaurate fotogramma per fotogramma. In base alla copertina dell’edizione sembrano copie per il mercato americano, ma vengono riprodotte senza problemi da lettori nostrani. I contenuti speciali migliori sono i documentari. Sia quelli sulla realizzazione, girati nel 2006, dove è tra l’altro possibile vedere una Anne Francis ed un Leslie Nilsen ancora in piena forma, sia quelli dove si ripercorre la storia dei film di fantascienza degli anni 50, intervistando i quattro nomi che vengono subito in mente oggigiorno quando si parla di fantascienza: Lucas, Scott, Spielberg e Cameron.

Der Film ist alt aber trotzdem gut ich schaue ihn mir gerne an das war der erste Film Videokassette die ich im Westen gekauft hatte und jetzt habe ich ihn als DVD

I'm going to start by briefly discussing Forbidden Planet. I think a lot of other reviewers, cleverer and more erudite than me have summed its appeal up perfectly in their reviews. I can imagine the sense of wonder the general public had when they visited Altair 4, along with Commander Adams and his crew. The special effects, the intelligent, literate story and the wonderful, experimental music score are still as impressive fifty years on, and scenes such as the trip through the underground Krell machinery must have been astounding to the cinema goers of the 1950's. Anyway enough about the main feature, now to discuss the other great film in this release. The Invisible Boy, Robbie the Robot's second starring role, may lack a bit of the scope of Forbidden Planet, but its a very fine film in its own right. Shot in glorious black and white, it starts off in a very light fashion, with little Timmie Merrinoe, who just wants to be a normal ten year old boy, being under constant scrutiny by his analytical father, computer programmer Dr Tom Merrinoe. His father can't understand why he can operate the most complex of computers, but can't teach his son simple maths or chess. Just to mention the computer Tom operates. Well, one evening the computer actually suggests that Timmie be brought to it, for accelerated learning. The father complies, and soon Timmie's whomping his dad at chess. This is where things get slightly sinister. Timmie asks for a reward, for his sudden intelligence boost. What he wants is to come face to face with Robbie The Robot, currently gathering dust in a loft(Robbie's prescence is ingeniously explained with a couple of throwaway comments about time travel to the 23rd century). Timmie armed with all his new knowledge, rebuilds Robbie, and after a couple of adventures, takes him to the computer room. This has all been planned by the devious computer, who wants control of the immensly powerful Robbie to be a walking instrument, to carry out its evil plans, which it has been covertly planning since it was built. As for the 'Invisible Boy' of the title, well its something the computer suggests that Timmie undertakes, through the medium of Robbie, in order to be able to sneak him on board a rocketship, to be used as a bargaining tool. Will the computer achieve its plans for world domination? This is an excellent film, and I do feel I should come to its defence, as it has been dismissed as a lesser feature in some reviews. Well, maybe when compared to Forbidden Planet, but few Science Fiction films are held in as high regard, as that title. What 'The Invisible Boy' does possess, is a quirkiness and identity very much of its own. In fact its just plain weird at times, and I'm all for a bit of weird. Its part science fiction, part satire(witness the scene when the parents nonchalantly address their invisble son at the breakfast table), and the film even has moments verging on horror, as all those around Dr Tom, become mindless slaves of the super computer. Ah yes, that computer, a very sinister proposition indeed, issuing icy threats if it doesnt get compliance. A fantastic, highly underrated film. So, to sum up, two great film on two DVD's, and a whole host of other fantastic extras. This should be a no brainer, but this is an essential purchase for anybody who enjoys robots, invisble boys, Freudian monsters or just Science Fiction films in general. 5 out of 5