Forbidden Planet is one of the best and one of the most important science fiction movies ever made. It provided the model on which most science 
fiction movies and TV shows would be based from then on, from the non-traditional space craft that didn't spout fire from its tail, to the white male triumvirate lead that showed up ten years later on Star Trek in the characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. But Forbidden Planet is not exactly a modern story. It's essentially Shakespeare's The Tempest dressed up with the trappings of a 1950s space opera. What makes Forbidden Planet stand out is the time and money expended on it as compared to other scifi movies from the period.
Instead of The Tempset's dessert island, Forbidden Planet is set on a distant and deserted planet. Instead of Prospero and his daughter Miranda, we have Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pigeon) and Altaira (Anne Francis). The sprite Arial is replaced by the dry-witted Robby, the world's first truly believable movie robot. And the role of Caliban is taken over by the huge, vicious and invisible Monster from the Id. When Captain J. J. Adams (Leslie Neilson) and his crew arrive on the Planet Altair 4, they discover that the original crew of the space ship Bellerophon that land two decades earlier has been reduced to only the reclusive doctor and his naive daughter. When questioned, Dr. Morbius explains that the rest of the colonists were killed by some unseen monster that "tore them literally limb from limb." Captain Adams is suspicious and - despite Morbius' pleas for him to leave - decides to investigate further. Along with his first mate, L.t Jerry Farman (Jack Kelly) and Dr. Ostrow (Warren Stevens), he presses Morbius for more answers. Morbius tells them of an extinct race known as the Krell who once lived on the planet. The only thing that remains of the Krell is the huge machine they constructed beneath the planet's surface, a machine that can turn thought patterns into solid matter and transport it anywhere on the planet. Meanwhile, back at the ship, a series of break-ins and vandalism culminates in the death of Chief Quinn (Richard Anderson).
fiction movies and TV shows would be based from then on, from the non-traditional space craft that didn't spout fire from its tail, to the white male triumvirate lead that showed up ten years later on Star Trek in the characters of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. But Forbidden Planet is not exactly a modern story. It's essentially Shakespeare's The Tempest dressed up with the trappings of a 1950s space opera. What makes Forbidden Planet stand out is the time and money expended on it as compared to other scifi movies from the period.
Instead of The Tempset's dessert island, Forbidden Planet is set on a distant and deserted planet. Instead of Prospero and his daughter Miranda, we have Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pigeon) and Altaira (Anne Francis). The sprite Arial is replaced by the dry-witted Robby, the world's first truly believable movie robot. And the role of Caliban is taken over by the huge, vicious and invisible Monster from the Id. When Captain J. J. Adams (Leslie Neilson) and his crew arrive on the Planet Altair 4, they discover that the original crew of the space ship Bellerophon that land two decades earlier has been reduced to only the reclusive doctor and his naive daughter. When questioned, Dr. Morbius explains that the rest of the colonists were killed by some unseen monster that "tore them literally limb from limb." Captain Adams is suspicious and - despite Morbius' pleas for him to leave - decides to investigate further. Along with his first mate, L.t Jerry Farman (Jack Kelly) and Dr. Ostrow (Warren Stevens), he presses Morbius for more answers. Morbius tells them of an extinct race known as the Krell who once lived on the planet. The only thing that remains of the Krell is the huge machine they constructed beneath the planet's surface, a machine that can turn thought patterns into solid matter and transport it anywhere on the planet. Meanwhile, back at the ship, a series of break-ins and vandalism culminates in the death of Chief Quinn (Richard Anderson).
The crew sets up defenses, and when the monster attacks again, they open fire, revealing a hideous, invisible creature that cannot be stopped by their ray guns. In the end, Captain Adams figures out that Morbius' mind is creating the monster. Morbius confronts the demon he's created and is destroyed by it. But before he dies, he triggers a self-destruction sequence that will destroy the planet, and the remains of the crew escape with Altaira and Robbie as the planet explodes.
Forbidden Planet incorporated many advances in special effects that raised it above the run of the mill 50s scifi matinee. First of all, it was filmed on Technicolor, which none of the low-budget scifi films of the day could afford. Secondly, the sets were expertly crafted. Morbius's house looks like something from The Jetsons, and all of the scenes of the Krell's great machine were matt paintings dome by the folks at Walt Disney Studios. 
Third, the Monster from the Id and the laser blasts were accomplished by etching the film with a laser, a common practice today, but almost unheard in 1956. It lends the monster a true otherworldly quality, at a time when most aliens consisted of actors in silly rubber costumes. Fourth, there was the wise-cracking Robbie the Robot, who steals every scene that he's in. So important was he, that he graced most of the movie posters, not Leslie Neilson or Walter Pigeon. Finally, there was the musical score by Louis and Bebe Barron, which was done entirely using electronic tonalities. It is - as far as I know - the only score that also doubles as the sound effects. All of this, combined with a great story and sympathetic characters, make Forbidden Planet one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made.
Third, the Monster from the Id and the laser blasts were accomplished by etching the film with a laser, a common practice today, but almost unheard in 1956. It lends the monster a true otherworldly quality, at a time when most aliens consisted of actors in silly rubber costumes. Fourth, there was the wise-cracking Robbie the Robot, who steals every scene that he's in. So important was he, that he graced most of the movie posters, not Leslie Neilson or Walter Pigeon. Finally, there was the musical score by Louis and Bebe Barron, which was done entirely using electronic tonalities. It is - as far as I know - the only score that also doubles as the sound effects. All of this, combined with a great story and sympathetic characters, make Forbidden Planet one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made.
Forbidden Planet is filmed in wide screen and Technicolor, and it's rated G.
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