Forbidden Planet, Extended Play Laser Disc, 1983 MGM/UA Home Video, (This is NOT a DVD)

“FORBIDDEN PLANET” was the first movie to insightfully elevate the sci-fi cinema sub-genre to an intelligent and respectable degree and place in our American culture. A strong undercurrent of psychological motifs was always prevalent among the humanoid gods of Greek and Roman mythology, and later in renaissance literature and Shakespearean plays. Nevertheless, the movie “Forbidden Planet” remains the first sci-fi film to recognize and acknowledge the reality of the subconscious human mind as mankind's true antagonist; and to examine subtle internal forces rather than external threats from giant lizards or little green men.Aside from its romantic subplot, this innovative movie inspired many technical and conceptual aspects of the future Star Trek series, and paved the path for other sci-fi motion pictures. One of this movie’s most beloved stars, Robbie the robot, was the prototype or forerunner, and arguably the inspiration for the future robotic creations in the Star Wars series and other movies and TV shows. Thanks to “Forbidden Planet’s” brilliantly eerie electronic sound track, this award-winning movie continues to cast its other-worldly spell as majestically as it did in 1956 when it first opened in theaters to stunned and delighted audiences.Equally awesome are this film's incisively compelling screenplay, flawless performances, dynamic directing, editing, and groundbreaking animation sequences (especially the “Id” creature and the Krell civilization’s breathtaking immense structural marvels). This blu-ray edition of “Forbidden Planet” certainly deserves a prominent reserved seat in your collection of vintage sci-fi classic movies. (Trivia: Robbie's distinctive voice belonged to the distinguished actor and announcer Marvin Miller. And the talented man inside Robbie was Frankie Darro).(If this review was helpful in any way, please click on the "Helpful" key below, or write a comment. Thanks).

1956. NASA did not exist; it would be another two years before the US government got serious about launching men into space. The transistor had just been invented but hadn't even made it into radios yet; all the world's electronics used vacuum tubes. Grad students earned their way through the University of Illinois by dashing about the computer lab in Urbana, Illinois with shopping carts full of vacuum tubes, trying to keep the monstrous Illiac computers running long enough to get through just one program. Color movies were still something that deserved special mention. "Science Fiction" films mean B movies about giant bugs. Designers in Detroit were toying with tail fins on cars. Airline flights were for rich people, and then only on propeller-driven aircraft. Robots were an idea from science fiction; automation meant strange mechanical contraptions with ball-and-plane integrators. Women's skirts ended below the knee.Also in 1956, MGM decided to make an A-list movie with unprecedented cinematography with a strong, cerebral theme more befitting the best of SF literature of the time; and this is it. "Forbidden Planet" is the grandfather of all serious science fiction movies. It broke the ground for all the serious SF films to come, inspiring budding film makers around the globe. Without it, it's likely that we never would have seen Star Trek, Star Wars, ET, Close Encounters, or any of the other space-themed tales that we have enjoyed over the past 60 years.Amazingly, there's very little about "Forbidden Planet" that seems dated, even today. This Blu-Ray release makes it available for a whole new generation of SF fans to enjoy! The cook is pretty corny; every Hollywood movie had some sort of comic-relief character in those days. The interior of the space ship is rather roomy and devoid of the scratches, dust, and wear we'd seen in a well-done set today.This version comes packaged with some incredible bonus material, including the oddly named movie, "The Invisible Boy," which is kind of a sequel to "Forbidden Planet." The setting for "The Invisible Boy" is about 300 years before C57D space cruiser landed on Altair 4, but they get Robby the Robot into the story with a bit of off-screen time-travel hand-waving. It's really a story about a scary computer that wants to take over the world and how Robby saves the day. There's a boy who does turn invisible, but the film would have been much better without the boy in it at all.The disc also includes an episode of "The Thin Man" where Robby once again steals every scene he's in, along with some great commentaries on "Forbidden Planet" featuring several of today's leading film directors. Wonderful stuff; nicely packaged.

Fred M. Wilcox's 1956 film "Forbidden Planet," with a screenplay by Cyril Hume based on a story by Irving Block and Allen Adler, adapts William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" into atomic age science-fiction. In this story, Dr. Morbius fills the Prospero role; his daughter Altaira Morbius takes the place of Miranda; and Robby the Robot combines elements of both Ariel and Caliban. Leslie Nielsen's Commander Adams plays a character roughly analogous to Ferdinand, while Earl Holliman (as the cook) stands in for Stephano. The rough outlines of the story follow Shakespeare's play, which itself remains in the cultural zeitgeist, but it also adds elements common to the hopeful blend of futurism that appeared throughout the early atomic era.Despite being science fiction, there's a strong patriarchal streak in this film that firmly dates it in the 1950s, but it is still enjoyable as a product of its time. Nielsen plays a leading man character, much unlike his later comic roles. It would be easy to see this as a precursor to the "Star Trek" pilot, "The Cage," with its highbrow science-fiction elements and use of literary motifs. Interestingly, "Star Trek" would itself adapt "The Tempest" in the 1969 episode "Requiem for Methuselah." This is a must-watch for fans of classic science fiction and the effects are still enjoyable and well-done.

*This is a review with NO spoilers*This is a must have for Sci-fi fans. This movie is revolutionary for its age, and combines good story telling with beautiful special effects. It does show its age, but in a charming way and not to a degree where it becomes distracting. Sci-fi of this area is often low budget B-movies, but Forbidden Planet is certainly an exception from that. It has a believable story, where the captivating mystique of outer space exploration delivers both spooks, excitement, and big dreams. You will see many ideas and concepts in this movie, which has been borrowed by newer sci-fi installations like for instance Star Trek. Forbidden Planet also has a completely analog synthesized sound track (one of the first movies to have such), which fits the movie exceptionally well. The sound track alone is enough to recommend this movie.The HD conversion is top notch, with great details.

There are some films that you see when you are young that for whatever reason leave a lasting impression with you, for me this is such a film, like many films this film is regarded as a classic by a generation of movie lovers whom where able to be captivated and astounded by its fantasy and its effects. The picture quality on the blu ray is very good, the special features are great however there is one niggling issue and that is the sound quality, on the back of the case it states the sound is 'dts master audio' well I must have been unlucky because the sound quality on mine is not the best quality, which is unfortunate but it does not detract from my enjoyment of the film. Good old fashioned science fiction with a good cast.

What can you say about FORBIDDEN PLANET that hasn't been said before. By a long mile my favourite SCI-FI movie. Story, visual effects & sound track (electronic tonalities) all combined together to create a truly exceptional sci fi. This sci fi stands testament to the skills of all participants involved in its production Let's not forget; it was made in 1956, truly amazing. THIS blu ray disc is a superb print and magnificent to watch on my Sony 55"A1 oled tv and Sony bdp s5000es player. Very highly recommended indeed. Get a copy while it is available!

Few sci-fi movies capture ordinariness in the strange and wonderful worlds that they create but The Forbidden Planet does so in a masterly fashion. This is a great film and a game-changer in the history of sci-fi. When you watch sci-fi and think "those are great special effects" then that is a sure sign that the film has failed because if it was a good film then you would not be looking at the technicalities you would be engrossed in the characterisations and the plot. The Forbidden Planet has a superb plot so the effects are just a part of staging the story. Having said that the effects here are primitive by today's standards - the dust cloud left by the speeding vehicle being perhaps the least convincing. Yet at the same time the animations used for the monsters and the portrayal of the underground world can stand alongside what could be done today. When they edited this film they realised that, given their limitations, the effects should not be pushed too far and so the whole piece benefited from understatement forced by the basic contemporary working methods. So many modern films could so learn from that same tempered approach. The creators of Forbidden Planet got pretty much the right balance between delivering you to another world and keeping your feet firmly planted in the basics of life, love and ambition. Also; luckily for us looking back from the second decade of the 21st century Forbidden Planet was made in colour.In terms of portraying an extraordinary world in ordinary terms Forbidden Planet was not equalled until Star Wars in 1977; 21 years later. However where the Forbidden Planet scores over Star Wars and the best of the genre, but also by some huge distance over lesser sci-fi, is in the sophistication of the plot. In one of my favourite scenes the writers find the most imaginative way of portraying the enormity of the available power that the vast underground machine can deliver. Sci-fi films, like action movies, too often fall into the trap of straightforward goodies where everything about them is super-wholesome and worthy pitched against baddies that are completely evil. The main plot here is so much more interesting and real than this classic reduction. OK; so there is not enough dialogue to really explore the ideas properly but in terms of direction it is spot on. The characterisations are also somewhat one-dimensional because they have to share the film with this wonderful plot and with all the explanation necessary in any sci-fi. However this helps make this an easy watchable film. It may be based on Shakespeare but it does not demand the endurance that the great bard's work often can.As for the packaging here on the Blu-ray; you get a very good rendition of the film in HD alongside a good set of extras. A couple of documentaries rub shoulders with pretty much all of the work Robby the Robot ever did (I think). The other Robby vehicles are eclipsed by the main feature of course and no more than a curiosity for me but the documentaries are great at reminding you of the context of the film and giving some insight into its creation. For the Robby stuff; contrast "let's write a film that explores man's inner struggle from the primitive and the power of the mind" with "can we do something with this darn robot - after all it cost a fortune to build". Outtakes feature too and this all adds up to give you a reasonable backdrop - the kind of material you want to see as extras on the Blu-ray or DVD release.Anyway; that is my humble opinion on what I consider a must-have addition to my collection.

One of the comparatively few A-list 50s sci-fi films and a rare interstellar excursion for MGM in particular, Forbidden Planet still holds up remarkably well as one of the most intelligent and ambitious of its era. Adapting Shakespeare's The Tempest as a sci-fi film was an inspired notion, while the film's underpinnings in equal parts myth, sexuality and psychology adds another layer of depth and complexity that separates it from the pack of invasion and giant bug movies that passed for science fiction for much of the 50s.Making his entrance in a cloud of dust, Robby the Robot is the breakout star but Walter Pidgeon is the one who truly dominates the film as the Prospero-like Morbius. He may joke about not being the mad scientist of lore, but, like the rest of the cast, Pidgeon plays it admirably straight, in his case as if he were playing Shakeseare in its undiluted form. He's an imposing figure, both in look and voice, but his Morbius is genuinely not a bad man - he doesn't want anyone to get hurt. But he can't control the hidden monsters the all but divine but long extinct Krell have unleashed on his isolated planet paradise and which stir again when a rescue ship finally arrives. And what a monster it is, too. You may only see a plaster cast of its giant claw or catch sketchy animated glimpses of its outline as it tries to break through an electric force field but anywhere in the galaxy this is a nightmare, and one that makes an unforgettable impression.The rest of the human cast may mostly be made up of studio stereotypes - Leslie Nielson in a rare heroic leading man role before he became one of the industry's smooth villains of choice, Ann Francis as the innocent romantic interest, Jack Kelly's rival suitor, Earl Holliman's comic-relief cook - but the superb screenplay still gives most of them dialogue worth saying and offers one more complex character in Warren Stevens' doctor who finds himself attracted to the planet and tempted to risk his life to discover its secret. He ultimately plays a more decisive role in uncovering the nature of the beast and how it can be defeated than the nominal hero.The film is certainly a treat for the eyes as well as the mind. While not photo realistic, the stylised special effects, painted background and animation are still strikingly effective today, with director Fred McLeod Wilcox, designers Irving Block (who co-wrote the story), Mentor Huebner and Arthur Lonergan and cinematographer George J. Folsey combining to make great use of the wide CinemaScope format. Its huge influence on the genre is certainly easy to trace: you'll find some shots copied faithfully in Star Wars, whether it's the hologram of Princess Lei or Obi-wan disabling the tractor beam, Gene Roddenberry used elements of it as the blueprint for Star Trek while its big idea - that the real monsters are inside all of us - would find itself cropping up everywhere from Solaris to Sphere without ever having quite the same satisfyingly primal effect it has here.Although it's perhaps not a necessary upgrade if you already have the DVD, Warners' Bluray release is very impressive with a particularly strong and detailed CinemaScope transfer that hasn't been ruined by the kind of excessive noise reduction that makes the cast of so many older movies look like waxwork Botox victims, as well as a good stereo soundtrack that at times appears to favor the right speaker slightly, though that's largely because Walter Pidgeon is often kept stage left and has a much stronger, clearer voice than any of the other actors.The extras package from the 2-disc DVD special edition has thankfully been left intact (though some trailers from other sci-fi movies of the 50s that were included on the US DVD have been dropped). The biggest surprise is perhaps that, along with nine minutes of fullframe special effects test footage from a print source, there are also some interesting deleted scenes taken from a workprint of the film, though sadly they only seem to survive in a poor quality letterboxed videotape source. Among them are Nielson speculating on possible forms of alien life ("They could be anything from Archangels to giant spiders"), a couple of scenes underlining why the tiger attacks - Doc Ostrow comparing Alta's calming effect on them to the myth of the unicorn worshipping purity and later coming up with a scientific rationale to support it - Robby driving the crew to Morbius' house against some dodgy backprojection, Nielson packing up a dead crewman's belongings, alternate unfinished versions of scenes with Robbie and the monster's original voices and a bit more dialogue from the end of the film. At times there's more of a poetic, mythical feel to the dialogue that harks back to the source, but they tend to be a little too on the nose about things better left inferred by the film.Along with the original theatrical trailer (narrated by Marvin Millar, the voice of Robby the Robot) there's a good making of documentary featuring most of the surviving cast and many of the crew and a good 55-minute documentary on the flying saucer scares and sci-fi film explosion of the 50s that helps put the film in context. Robby the Robot also gets his due. Aside from a featurette about his construction, there are also a couple of extracts from the introductions to MGM's anthology series MGM Parade with Walter Pidgeon in costume introducing Robby Robot in the Krell laboratory, an episode from the 1958 Thin Man TV series with Peter Lawford and Robby and Robby's feature film follow-up, The Invisible Boy. Marketed heavily on his starring role, it's not a sequel but an Earthbound `modern day' (well, 1957) storyWhere Forbidden Planet began with narration informing us that the space age truly began when man finally reached the moon at the end of the 21st Century, The Invisible Boy was released within a month of it starting in earnest when the Russians launched Sputnik. The budget's a lot lower - black and white with many reused sets and props, including the odd bit of Krell technology, and it's not in CinemaScope either - and the ideas aimed more at the kids who took Robby to their heart rather than the grownups. Here Robby's the robot pal of Richard Eyer, whose dad controls a computer containing the constantly updated sum total of man's knowledge but who can't even teach his son basic fractions. The computer is intended for military use and, this being the 50s, there are fears of `our friends across the Pole' stealing its secrets "because that's they're way of inventing things, isn't it?" (oh how they must have regretted that line when the Sputnik went up), but that doesn't stop dad from using it to boost junior's intelligence. Unfortunately the computer might just be sentient and have its own reasons for `helping' him.Dialogue like "You put that thing in the garage and you leave it there" when Eyer introduces Robby to the unimpressed family (seriously, what does this kid have to do to impress them?) or "Stop all this nonsense and start behaving sensibly" when he becomes invisible doesn't exactly lend it credibility, though the film does assume a childlike point of view as his father simply thinks his transparent offspring is just doing it to get attention. And there's more than a hint of the more lurid side of childhood curiosity as our hero uses his invisibility to spy on his parents making out. At times there's such a child's dreamlike quality to it all that it's a surprise that Eyer doesn't wake up just before the end credits to find out it's all been a dream. Instead the film turns increasingly serious in the last half hour as Eyer disappears from the story in more ways than one, putting the focus on the grownups as the super computer goes all Forbin Project on them. Robbie does indeed go briefly on the rampage as promised by the posters, though other ideas - not least the tantalising hint that Robbie may have been brought back from the future - are quickly brushed aside. But then this is more about the studio getting its money's worth out of its expensive mechanical star after Forbidden Planet struggled to break even at the box-office than breaking new ground like its predecessor, and as such it's a decent but undemanding bit of 50s sci-fi paranoia. Unsurprisingly it doesn't get the same treatment on the extras front but the original trailer for the film is also included.

I'm going to start by briefly discussing Forbidden Planet. I think a lot of other reviewers, cleverer and more erudite than me have summed its appeal up perfectly in their reviews. I can imagine the sense of wonder the general public had when they visited Altair 4, along with Commander Adams and his crew. The special effects, the intelligent, literate story and the wonderful, experimental music score are still as impressive fifty years on, and scenes such as the trip through the underground Krell machinery must have been astounding to the cinema goers of the 1950's. Anyway enough about the main feature, now to discuss the other great film in this release.The Invisible Boy, Robbie the Robot's second starring role, may lack a bit of the scope of Forbidden Planet, but its a very fine film in its own right. Shot in glorious black and white, it starts off in a very light fashion, with little Timmie Merrinoe, who just wants to be a normal ten year old boy, being under constant scrutiny by his analytical father, computer programmer Dr Tom Merrinoe. His father can't understand why he can operate the most complex of computers, but can't teach his son simple maths or chess. Just to mention the computer Tom operates. Well, one evening the computer actually suggests that Timmie be brought to it, for accelerated learning. The father complies, and soon Timmie's whomping his dad at chess.This is where things get slightly sinister. Timmie asks for a reward, for his sudden intelligence boost. What he wants is to come face to face with Robbie The Robot, currently gathering dust in a loft(Robbie's prescence is ingeniously explained with a couple of throwaway comments about time travel to the 23rd century). Timmie armed with all his new knowledge, rebuilds Robbie, and after a couple of adventures, takes him to the computer room. This has all been planned by the devious computer, who wants control of the immensly powerful Robbie to be a walking instrument, to carry out its evil plans, which it has been covertly planning since it was built. As for the 'Invisible Boy' of the title, well its something the computer suggests that Timmie undertakes, through the medium of Robbie, in order to be able to sneak him on board a rocketship, to be used as a bargaining tool. Will the computer achieve its plans for world domination?This is an excellent film, and I do feel I should come to its defence, as it has been dismissed as a lesser feature in some reviews. Well, maybe when compared to Forbidden Planet, but few Science Fiction films are held in as high regard, as that title.What 'The Invisible Boy' does possess, is a quirkiness and identity very much of its own. In fact its just plain weird at times, and I'm all for a bit of weird. Its part science fiction, part satire(witness the scene when the parents nonchalantly address their invisble son at the breakfast table), and the film even has moments verging on horror, as all those around Dr Tom, become mindless slaves of the super computer. Ah yes, that computer, a very sinister proposition indeed, issuing icy threats if it doesnt get compliance. A fantastic, highly underrated film.So, to sum up, two great film on two DVD's, and a whole host of other fantastic extras. This should be a no brainer, but this is an essential purchase for anybody who enjoys robots, invisble boys, Freudian monsters or just Science Fiction films in general. 5 out of 5

A must see/have classic sci-fi movie from the times when Leslie Nielsen use to play in serious movies.Good image and sound despite the age and plenty of extras:You get also the "sequel" of the movie - The Invisible Boy in b/w but also good quality and an tv show episode featuring Robby the Robot.

This is a review of the Warner Archives blu ray. Wow! The film looks and sounds great. The supplements are plentiful and are all first rate. This disc is a celebration of the enormous impact this film had on American science fiction film and science fiction films around the world for decades to come. This is a must-own.

A science fiction classic from the 50's and ahead of it's time.This caughtionary tale of man,dazzeled by his own achivements means there is always something very important that he overlooks and forgets.This film is also proof that when you have a fantastic script and acting performances a match for the material you don't need a huge budget.Ilove all of the extras in this special anniversary two disc edition.The message still resonates today.

Well what can i say, i have watched this film for many years when its been on tv and have really enjoyed it so when i saw it on blu ray i had to have it as lets beHonest this is an awesome classic sci fiFilm which was a benchmark for all others to follow and the quality of the dvd is just great not to glossy but still keeps that b movie feel to it and the sound...well put it througb any half decent surround system and boy! Does this sound great with all the strange whirring popping and electronic sound effects being whizzed around the room!Trouble is everytime i see leslie neilson on this film i just cant help thinking he might break into frank drebbin and come out with a deadpan dry comic remark or is that just me?Anyway awesome film and if you want to enjoy a.classic movie then add this to your collection

I saw this film at the cinema when it first came out and it's still brilliant, a seminal SF inspiration for what came after. It's one of the few makeovers I've ever seen that really works. ('The Tempest', for those who didn't know.) Visually spectacular, long before CGI, it also has warmth and wit, and Robbie the Robot. The 'Id' is great, as is the underground world of the Krell. I tell you, it stands up to comparison with frenetic stuff like 'Matrix', no problem. Also, it has Leslie Nielsen before he turned to comedy, and Walter Pigeon at his earnest and eventually tormented best. I would recommend this to anybody interested in SF, pioneer SFX and good acting.It's too easy to take for granted the art, but it's over half a century old! Compare Forbidden Planet with its contemporaries and you'll see what I mean.

If you watch all the latest block buster and their special affects are great but the scripts and the acting is pants. The Forbidden Planet is the first and last of the great films to be made where the acting is great, and the tension generated is brilliant, this film is up there with Ben Hur. If you like film then this is one for your collection, the blu ray version is much better than the standard because you need a good picture to fully appreciate the detial the direct put in the film. It slowly builds the drama and the special affects are good too, and with a good story line all the way through it leaves you throughly entertianed. Robbie the robot is brilliant in this and he can been seen in the Lost in Space Tv series, and in the latest Lost in Space movie which will have you yawning all the way through, and as Doctor Smith says in the TV series OH the pain.Well done Blu-ray for releaseing this film out on your new format.

This is a great film, always enjoyed watching this film over the years, on tv. The special effects of this film, are way ahead of it's time, they are just amazing.The picture quality of the blu ray is very good, but not perfect as it should be, there is a small, and I will say small ammount of grain still present, only at times, on the picture, but I am being critical here, as it is very good. The sound quality is very good.The extras on this disk are great too, there is another full movie, The Invisable Boy, now some may not like this film, whether you like, or dislike, the fact they have given this film free on this disk, so no complaints here, there are many more very good extras too. The price we paid was very good, go for this film on blu ray, you will not be disappointed.

In another review I have lamented how another sci-fi classic had not aged well since its inception in the '80s. For a film that is decades older, Forbidden Planet has succeeded as a genre essential.A riff on Shakespeare's 'Tempest', Forbidden Planet is a technicolour feast that has translated beautifully to Blu-Ray. It's measured use of practical effects, rotoscoping, matte painting and epic sets offer a consistent (if not necessarily convincing!) setting that allows the story to unfold and charm the viewer.For those unfamiliar with Leslie Nielsen's serious acting work, this film will elicit a chorus of 'I know that guy' from new viewers more familiar with Nielsen's slapstick comedies.Science fiction cinema owes a debt to this film as it establishes many of the tropes enjoyed by contemporary cinema. Enjoy.

I have only ever seen the film once before in the 1970's when I was either 6 of 7, but it obviously left a big impression on me as I remembered nearly the whole film.Other people have left reviews on the storyline and acting, I will just say for a film of its day it was very good acting and special effects.What moved me to write a review on this Blu Ray release were the special features, specifically the TCM documentary "Watch the Skies: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us" in which Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott and James Cameron all talking about the science fiction movies they watched growing up, and the effects this had on their movie making. For me that documentary was worth the price of the entire Blu Ray disc on its own, however you also get quite a bit more including a complete extra movie "The Invisible Boy" and a couple of episode of "The Thin Man" tv show featuring Robby the Robot, and a whole load of deleted and pre post production clips of the main film Forbidden Planet.So to sum up if you're a fan of this kind of movie I highly recommend this Blu Ray release of "Forbidden Planet" .