Forbidden Planet

FORBIDDEN PLANET (U)

D: Fred M. Wilcox

MGM (Nicholas Nayfack)

USA 🇺🇸 1956

98 mins

Science Fiction

W: Cyril Hume [based on 'The Tempest' by William Shakespeare]

DP: George Folsey

Ed: Ferris Webster

Mus: Louis Barron & Bebe Barron

PD: Cedric Gibbons & Arthur Lonergan

Cos: Helen Rose & Walter Plunkett

Walter Pidgeon (Dr. Edward Morbius), Anne Francis (Altaira Morbius), Leslie Nielsen (Cmdr. John Adams), Warren Stevens (Lt. 'Doc' Ostrow), Jack Kelly (Lt. Farman), Richard Anderson (Chief Quinn)

One of the definitive science fiction movies of all time, inspired by the plot from William Shakespeare's play, The Tempest.

Set in the year 2200 AD, a spaceship visits the planet Altair to discover the fate of a previous mission, only to find a deserted world populated only by Dr. Morbius (Prospero in The Tempest), his daughter and their protective robot, Robby. It transpires that the mad doctor created monsters from his own imagination to protect himself and his daughter, leading to a showdown between the visiting crew's captain and Morbius.

While the film may not possess the best dialogue, it still has an intelligent screenplay, memorable characters and several iconic scenes and designs (especially Robby the Robot).

Many might say it looks and feel incredibly dated now, but it will always be considered a classic and milestone of the sci-fi genre.

8/10