Forbidden Planet

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Image From IMDB

I adore cheesy 50s sci-fi, but undoubtedly the most famous sci-fi of the era is also the one which treated the genre very differently. Forbidden Planet is a serious sci-fi, probably the first of its kind––except maybe Metropolis. The director, actors, and studio by all accounts took the project with a thoughtfulness previously unseen, and I think the result speaks for itself. Forbidden Planet is a milestone, and a classic of not only the genre, but cinema.

There’s so much to love about the movie. The concept of us discovering and studying an alien race seemed well ahead of its time. The spaceship being a flying saucer, when historically that’s always been the invading races ship––guess we kind of are the invaders this time round. The colour palette of the movie is gorgeous. The costume design daring––especially for Alraria. Robbie the Robot and that iconic poster. So many firsts came from this movie, and not just the big budget and seriousness in which the film was taken.

With all that class added to the production the movie still found time to have a monster in it just like all good 50s sci-fi. The set designs were stunning, the effects brilliant for back then. I liked all the characters, even if they weren’t the most fleshed out. Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) was the kinda mad scientist I can always get behind. Love it when they don’t quite realise they’re mad.

The scenes with the crew battling the monster have always been seared into my brain. The electric fence and the invisible beast. So good. Loved the scenes of the invisible monster invading the ship too. Some great use of practical effects work there, especially on the bending steps. Simple, but so effective.

The movie also marked the debut of future funnyman Leslie Nielsen as the captain trying to keep his crew together and working out the mystery of the Forbidden Planet.

Forbidden Planet really did make a massive impact on the genre. Brought a class and respect previously missing. Sure, some of it might not stand up to the modern lens––which shouldn’t even be a real thing and i’m sure to have a full on rant about that one day––but at the time I can only imagine the excited reaction in the cinema. Seeing Robbie the Robot. The massive scope of the planet and the underground. The beautiful matte paintings. Those gorgeous colours, and that fully electronic score (one of the many firsts) It must have been an unbelievable experience that I can’t help but be envious off.

I had a Forbidden Planet poster on my wall for years, and its up there with 2001: A Space Odyssey and Logan’s Run as some of my favourite pre Star Wars sci-fi’s. I wish they still made movies like this, when imagination ruled all. There really isn’t a modern equivalent to Forbidden Planet, but that’s maybe a good thing as they wouldn’t do it justice. An absolute classic of the genre which should be watched by all.