Judging this movie today is fraught with difficulty because since it's production, the subject itself has grown up, moving from low-budget B-movie hokum to A-movie cost-no-object blockbuster.
It is evident that the budget of 'Forbidden Planet' went way beyond anything that had gone before, or indeed would come for another 20 years. There are some truly sublime set-pieces, particularly those of the planet's interior that still stand firm against most presentations today. Anyone never having seen this movie before and being suddenly presented with those tiny humans wandering about inside the colossal Krell machine would never guess that they were watching something from over 50 years ago. At the time, on the big screen, it must have been an astounding spectacle - on a par with the opening battle scene from 'Star Wars'.
Panoramic landscape shots of the planet's surface also bear up pretty well under scrutiny. There's just a certain sense of 'studio' in the foreground that is reminiscent of early 'Star Trek'. That's still a very favourable comparison though - for an item dating from 1956! Certainly the star of the show is a robot called 'Robbie' that seems to take an age just to say anything. Even so, it is at least as believable as R2D2 or C3P0 - once again, creations from some 20 years later. Another commentator has suggested that it cost $10,000 to build. Factor-in inflation and that would probably translate to $250,000 dollars today. Serious Money for one piece of kit.
As to the human cast; I'm no particular fan of Walter Pidgeon, he always left me with the impression of someone who thought he was better than he was. But the part of 'Morbius' exactly suits this character and he plays it with adequate - if stuffy - conviction. As to Leslie Neilsen playing a straight leading man? Well; clearly times have changed. He and his B-movie cast just about get the job done, but no cigar.
And then there's the leading lady, who does what leading ladies were supposed to do in the 1950's. She provides a little interplanetary sexual dalliance. 'Ripley' she ain't. It might be science-fiction and set in the future, but all of the tiresome and sexist social mores of the 1950's appear time-proof. Ah-well; you can't have everything.
The plot itself is standard sci-fi fare. Some people go somewhere strange and find something unpleasant they're not sure how to deal with. 'Alien/Aliens', 'Pitch Black', and even 'The Thing' follow a broadly similar theme.
This time the beastie is human subconsciousness made manifest by Alien technology, and an excellent little chiller it proves to be. Though it does bear a passing resemblance to the 'Loonytunes' Tasmanian Devil. Perhaps, like me, Morbius has been watching too many old movies. There are some spooky moments when the entity's stealthy approach is detected by technology but yet unseen by the human characters (it's invisible, you see) a slowly-paced electronic booming-noise like an amplified heart-beat is matched by huge and bizarre footprints just appearing in the soft earth. An electric-field apparently shorts-out for no reason... That 'magic footprint' trick is also seen in 'Night Of The Demon', whilst electronic detection of the unseen is likewise reprised in Alien(s).
And naturally there are some ray guns - at least as good as 'Star Trek's' 'Phasers'.
Rather experimentally, there is no theme or incidental music to this movie. All of the audio 'infil' is provided by a seemingly endless and random electronic noise. You may or may not like the effect, but it's a brave effort nonetheless. Its variety almost has the abstract presence of birdsong. I am reminded of Sergio Leone's westerns, where odd moods and punctuations are created by twangs of a Jew's harp or brief pipe and vocal sounds. Vangelis employed a similarly abstract approach to 'Blade Runner'
I have to say I love this movie and would equally recommend it because of its age, as in spite of it. This was the Star Wars of its day. And just think; 'Forbidden Planet' actually predated our very first space flight. The USSR's little, bleeping 'Spitnik 1' went into orbit in 1957. If you can remember those times, you will understand why fans of this production insist upon its classic status.
It is evident that the budget of 'Forbidden Planet' went way beyond anything that had gone before, or indeed would come for another 20 years. There are some truly sublime set-pieces, particularly those of the planet's interior that still stand firm against most presentations today. Anyone never having seen this movie before and being suddenly presented with those tiny humans wandering about inside the colossal Krell machine would never guess that they were watching something from over 50 years ago. At the time, on the big screen, it must have been an astounding spectacle - on a par with the opening battle scene from 'Star Wars'.
Panoramic landscape shots of the planet's surface also bear up pretty well under scrutiny. There's just a certain sense of 'studio' in the foreground that is reminiscent of early 'Star Trek'. That's still a very favourable comparison though - for an item dating from 1956! Certainly the star of the show is a robot called 'Robbie' that seems to take an age just to say anything. Even so, it is at least as believable as R2D2 or C3P0 - once again, creations from some 20 years later. Another commentator has suggested that it cost $10,000 to build. Factor-in inflation and that would probably translate to $250,000 dollars today. Serious Money for one piece of kit.
As to the human cast; I'm no particular fan of Walter Pidgeon, he always left me with the impression of someone who thought he was better than he was. But the part of 'Morbius' exactly suits this character and he plays it with adequate - if stuffy - conviction. As to Leslie Neilsen playing a straight leading man? Well; clearly times have changed. He and his B-movie cast just about get the job done, but no cigar.
And then there's the leading lady, who does what leading ladies were supposed to do in the 1950's. She provides a little interplanetary sexual dalliance. 'Ripley' she ain't. It might be science-fiction and set in the future, but all of the tiresome and sexist social mores of the 1950's appear time-proof. Ah-well; you can't have everything.
The plot itself is standard sci-fi fare. Some people go somewhere strange and find something unpleasant they're not sure how to deal with. 'Alien/Aliens', 'Pitch Black', and even 'The Thing' follow a broadly similar theme.
This time the beastie is human subconsciousness made manifest by Alien technology, and an excellent little chiller it proves to be. Though it does bear a passing resemblance to the 'Loonytunes' Tasmanian Devil. Perhaps, like me, Morbius has been watching too many old movies. There are some spooky moments when the entity's stealthy approach is detected by technology but yet unseen by the human characters (it's invisible, you see) a slowly-paced electronic booming-noise like an amplified heart-beat is matched by huge and bizarre footprints just appearing in the soft earth. An electric-field apparently shorts-out for no reason... That 'magic footprint' trick is also seen in 'Night Of The Demon', whilst electronic detection of the unseen is likewise reprised in Alien(s).
And naturally there are some ray guns - at least as good as 'Star Trek's' 'Phasers'.
Rather experimentally, there is no theme or incidental music to this movie. All of the audio 'infil' is provided by a seemingly endless and random electronic noise. You may or may not like the effect, but it's a brave effort nonetheless. Its variety almost has the abstract presence of birdsong. I am reminded of Sergio Leone's westerns, where odd moods and punctuations are created by twangs of a Jew's harp or brief pipe and vocal sounds. Vangelis employed a similarly abstract approach to 'Blade Runner'
I have to say I love this movie and would equally recommend it because of its age, as in spite of it. This was the Star Wars of its day. And just think; 'Forbidden Planet' actually predated our very first space flight. The USSR's little, bleeping 'Spitnik 1' went into orbit in 1957. If you can remember those times, you will understand why fans of this production insist upon its classic status.