Forbidden Planet (A+) |
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THIS IS ONE OF THE TEN BEST SCI-FI FILMS! STARS...
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DIRECTOR: Fred McLeod Wilcox BEST BETS:
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SYNOPSIS... Commander J.J. Adams, of United Planets Cruiser C-57-D, visits Altair-4, a distant planet, to check up on the passengers of the spaceship Bellerophon, which made a previous space mission to the planet. Despite being warned away, Adams lands the Cruiser on Altair-4. Soon he meets Morbius, and his amazing walking-talking robot Robby, and his beautiful daughter, Altaira. And he learns that the Bellerophon blew up on take off. Soon, equipment aboard the Cruiser is destroyed and several crewmen are mysteriously killed. Ultimately, the force is found to be generated by Dr. Morbius' unconscious thoughts. After Commander Adams, his new girlfriend Altaira, and the surviving Cruiser crew escape into space, Morbius sacrifices his life and blows up Altair-4, in order to save everyone else from his mental monsters. |
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Review: Director Fred Wilcox's FORBIDDEN PLANET is one of the ten best Sci-Fi films ever made. In fact, its reputation over the years has only grown. This film is believed by some to be one of the best titled Sci-Fi movies ever. It is certainly is one of the most memorable. As the film begins, United Planets Cruiser C-57-D, (sound familiar?), arrives at the distant planet, Altair-4, checking up on the status of a spaceship which landed here many years before. The starship is commanded by J.J. Adams (a stalwart, and very young, Leslie Nielsen). The fact that Neilsen has built a second career out of spoofing this kind of straight faced, "just the facts" acting, (ala "Naked Gun"), is part of the fun of watching the film today. Commander Adams receives a radio broadcast from the planet, from Doctor Morbius (Walter Pidgeon, also in "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"), a member of the original spaceship mission. The fact that it's a radio, and not a television broadcast, makes one wonder if film studio, MGM, wasn't expressing some wishful thinking about that young upstart competitor, television. Curiously, this reliance on antiquated technology in the far future is the only unimaginative moment in a film, filled with futuristic wonders. Despite Morbius' warnings against it, Adams lands his planetary Cruiser on Altair-4. The resulting, incredible adventure is nothing the young Commander had expected, and everything Sci-Fi lovers hope for. For robot fans, we get the premiere appearance of Robby the Robot, the original, friendly automaton. Robby has many of the better lines in the script, including, "I was giving myself an oil job." Attention girl watchers! You'll enjoy feasting your eyes on the virginal Altaira, Morbius' daughter, who is played by then starlet, Anne Francis (TV's "Honey West"), looking stunning in her frequently skimpy costumes. FORBIDDEN PLANET is a liberal adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, "The Tempest," credited to Screenwriter, Cyril Hume, (from a Story by Irving Black and Allen Adler). The psychological/sexual overtones of the story, makes FORBIDDEN PLANET a rich, multi-layered film. My favorite scene takes place when Nielsen must vaporize a tiger as it leaps through the air toward Francis. The brief sequence knocked my socks off as a kid, and still impresses me today. The Special Effects, by Walt Disney's animators, are uniformly excellent, although obviously not as impressive as today's, state-of-the-art FX. The roaring, "monster from the Id," which appears in electric outline near the end of the film, is believed by some to be a stylized version of MGM mascot/symbol, Leo the Lion. FORBIDDEN PLANET will be highly watchable for most Sci-Fi fans. "Star Trek" enthusiasts may be amazed by the many similarities between this movie and their beloved series. |
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