While a contemporary audience might dismiss the now hokey-appearing charms of Fred M. Wilcox's "Forbidden Planet," that audience would be overlooking a science fiction classic that is a true document of its time. With its zithering, atonal music score; colorful, future-world sets; speculative technologies; and classic genre themes; the film works to establish an other-worldly sensibility and couch that sense in a cutting-edge, mid-century special effects extravaganza. The fact that it also strives to entertain the largest possible audience with its occasionally jokey beats, dusty gender politics, and sailors-in-an-exotic-port vibe may work against the film now, but it should not detract from the genre greatness and enjoyable experience on hand.

A space-bound take on Shakespeare's "The Tempest," "Forbidden Planet" finds…

Every damn time.

Every damn time I re-watch Forbidden planet, and the first act unfolds, I question how I consistently give this sci-fi classic four stars. I appreciate it’s complete cheesiness, how the Electronic Tonalities set the stage for aural sci-fi cues for the next decade, how Irwin Allen unabashedly appropriated everything about Robbie and Spaceship C57D for Lost In Space, and especially what could be the first movie use of the order issued by an earnest Captain .. ‘Reverse The Polarity!’

You couldn’t get a much more earnest, svelte, and libidinous Captain than Leslie Neilson’s Commander Adams. He’s the Alpha Male, The Head of the Pack, The Big Cheese, A-Number-One, who’s completely willing to quash the competing lascivious advances…

Part of A Film A Day
Part of Essential Films To Watch

"I'm in command of 18 competitively selected super-perfect physical specimens with an average age of 24.6 who have been locked up in hyperspace for 378 days."

After viewings of sequel after sequel, and remake after remake, it's refreshing to see a film like Forbidden Planet. Though it's a generalization, it's definitely fair to say that originality, and creativity is lacking in Hollywood nowadays. Films now, often feel the same. And though it's not necessarily a bad thing, it definitely become tiresome. Godzilla, Amazing Spiderman 2, Rio 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier: only a few recents films that are either remakes (or reboots, in this case) or sequels.…

Forbidden Planet is one of, if not the most iconic Science Fiction movie to have have been released during the 1950's. It stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" to name but a couple.

Forbidden Planet takes the "hard" Sci-Fi route, whilst retaining fantastical elements that are associated with space dramas. The film carries a level of class that elevates it above its genre contemporaries due to the fantastic production values. The special effects and set designs hold up remarkably well even by today's standards. There's a real sense of filmmaking prowess behind this film.

However, where this film really shines is in its script and…

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s visual effects and art departments were ostensibly waiting to hurl themselves at the opportunity to create a sci-fi film, and they wholeheartedly seized the chance in bringing the imaginations of director Fred M. Wilcox to fruition, who before this was known primarily for a succession of Lassie movies. The original script, which takes many of its inspirations from William Shakespeare's The Tempest, possesses an impressive vision of culturally advanced society as well as an alien civilisation to remarkable realisation, as it follows a crew on a starship examining a human settlement on a planet that only possesses two survivors.

The principal cast members of Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen swirl around the casual and gently propagated lascivious…

Reviewed as part of the History of Horror 2020 Challenge. You can find my list here if you'd like to follow along!

Finishing up one challenge list, and returning to another! It's easy to see the impact this movie had, and it's certainly a marvel for it's time. Awesome sets, props, and delightful animated effects on top. The first of it's kind electronic score is charming, and the cast does well (it's wild to see the young Leslie Nielsen making his movie debut).

I considered giving this that half star bump for all that it does right, and its legacy, but it's hard to ignore the elements of the plot that haven't aged well. This is an incredibly thirsty movie,…

I just love the film actually credited the robot as a cast member... not the voice actor, but the robot itself...
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Perhaps one of the greatest landmarks in sci-fi cinema history, almost right of the get-go you could see the footprint of this movie on other films: the whole bridge to the lab reminded me a lot to the whole time room on Interstellar; also you can trace the premise on many other much modern flicks.

The unrecognizable Leslie Nielsen (seriously I thought that was Kirk Douglas!) does an great job as the commander of this spaceship on a quest for another missing spaceship troupe. Walter Pidgeon also does a good job as this crazy and suspicious who might…

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Letterboxd Season Challenge 2015-16
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Week 12: November 22nd-28th
50s Sci-Fi Week

In the annals of science fiction, few films have had the impact and far-reaching influence of MGM's first "space opera" blockbuster, "Forbidden Planet." From its Shakespeare-inspired story and serious acting to its special effects and eerie "electronic tonalities" in place of a score, this production was like nothing that had ever come before, setting the bar high for all sci-fi films to follow. Indeed, an unprecendented $1.9 million was spent over the course of two years to bring this vision of the 23rd century to the big screen in Eastman Color and Cinemascope, and the studio was rewarded with box office receipts of some $3 million.

Writer…

For the 2021 Genre Fun Project, where me and a few friends watch 21 movies in 7 different genres throughout 2021. For more details, check out our list (make sure to read the description and notes!)

GENRE: Science Fiction
ERA: Golden (pre-1960s)

Forbidden Planet was my draft pick for the 21genrefun challenge, slotting into the "Golden Era" Science Fiction slot. I picked it because I saw it around a few times in the "Best Science Fiction Movies" lists, but was also expecting a hokie, cheesy, B-grade classic sci-fi flick - something fun to kick off the challenge. I was wrong. This is a classic in every sense of the word - and the fact it came out in 1956 is…