Forbidden Planet Movie Review

“Prepare your minds for a new scale of scientific values, gentlemen.” MGM's first foray into the genre is Must-See sci fi. Following Disney's lead in the wake of the success of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the studio lavished its considerable resources on this adventure that was loosely based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest. In the 23rd century, Leslie Nielsen leads an expedition to Altair-4 to discover the fate of a previous mission to colonize the planet. They are warned away by Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), who claims to be the only survivor, and states that he needs no help and cannot be responsible for the consequences if Nielsen and company land. Turns out Morbius, who lives in automated luxury, is not alone. He has a beautiful daughter (Anne Francis) who greets the visitors with, “What beautiful men!” They are tended to by Robby the Robot (the film's breakout star and an icon of science-fiction movies). More malevolent is the Monster from the Id, a beast unwittingly summoned from Morbius's subconscious after his daughter hooks up with Nielsen. Arguably the best sci-fi film of the ‘50s. Now available on video in a preferred letterbox edition.

1956 98m/C Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Jack Kelly, Richard Anderson, Earl Holliman, George Wallace; D: Fred M. Wilcox; W: Cyril Hume; C: George Folsey; M: Bebe Barron, Louis Barron. VHS, Beta, LV MGM, CRC