Cool News
Moriarty’s DVD Blog! FORBIDDEN PLANET Special Edition Review!
Here’s another Warner Bros. special edition of a classic film that turns out to be... well... genuinely special.
It helps that the movie is one of the few movies of its genre from that particular era that holds up. I really enjoy watching SF films from the ‘50s, but I’m perfectly willing to admit that they are silly. For the most part, they’re barely SF films. Most of them are lame monster movies set against the worst sort of cardboard backdrops and laughable spaceship interiors.
Not FORBIDDEN PLANET, though. This is a lush, beautiful film, packed with special effects that must have been genuinely special when the film premiered, and which are still quite sophisticated in both design and execution. If it were simply a pinnacle of design and craft, I would still recommend at least a viewing of the film. But this is much more than just how it looks. This is a film that offers a potent exploration of just what it is we really want from life, and what a world might be like where we were able to actually get it.
Yes, FORBIDDEN PLANET is a loose retelling of Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST, but Cyril Hume’s screenplay has an identity all its own, and if there’s any fault I would point out, it’s that the film sets up some gigantic concepts that it just begins to address by the end of the film.
There’s a bit of a dated quality to the picture, but that’s part of its charm for me. The view of military life in outer space is definitely very 1950s, with a wise-cracking cook and a bunch of gun-happy goofballs. Leslie Nielsen plays the ship’s captain, and he’s solid. It probably didn’t help that I watched it right after I watched POLICE SQUAD: THE COMPLETE SERIES. Every role Nielsen ever played has been made funnier by virtue of his work with the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker guys. Have you ever seen him as the whore-beating freak in NUTS wearing that black bikini underwear? Hilarious.
Here, he’s the heroic lead of the film, the one guy who doesn’t try to birddog Anne Francis the moment they land on the planet. Not that I’d blame them. Anne Francis plays Altaira, daughter of Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), and the two of them are the only humans on Altair. They were part of an expedition, but everyone else died. Now, Nielsen’s ship has arrived to follow-up on that earlier expedition, and what they find is both amazing and deadly.
I love the use of Disney animators to bring some of the film’s most elaborate visual effects to life. I love the notion of the Krell’s civilization and their technology. I love the way the film establishes a myriad of story threads that it never quite resolves, and not because narrative sloppiness, but more because it’s too rich a mythology to resolve in one film. It cracks me up to see the cook use Robbie The Robot to make some bootleg hooch for the trip home. In fact, anything involving Robbie The Robot makes me smile. One of the great SF designs of any decade, Robbie is a deservedly iconic creation, and the film makes great use of him. He doesn’t overshadow the rest of the movie, but in every scene where he appears, he’s memorable.
What ultimately makes this film endure is the fact that it’s about ideas, the way great science-fiction should be. If you haven’t seen the film (and I'm sure there are many audiences that haven't), I don’t want to ruin it for you, because the story has some genuine surprises to offer, and the way it unfolds is creepy and compelling. Basically, it’s the story of the Krell, a race of people who once lived on Altair. They were incredibly technologically advanced, and they left behind giant machines... the size of cities... although to what purpose, Morbius seems reluctant to say at first. The Krell vanished, destroyed themselves somehow, and whatever they did has basically haunted Altair ever since. The film is scary in places, and there’s one scene involving a security fence that I watched through my fingertips the first time I saw it at age eight. I find the film just as beautiful now, if not more so, than I did back then.
Part of that is the clean-up that Warner Home Video did on the film. I had the Criterion laserdisc of this, and it didn’t look as good then as it does now. This is the definitive presentation of the film so far, and it’s amazing how well it holds up, how vivid and rich it looks.
Director Fred M. Wilcox didn’t exactly leave behind a long filmography, but his work here is so good that it makes me wonder what would have happened had he made more films. He was a guy who worked his way up through the studio system, working as an assistant director to some real giants before finally getting a chance to direct LASSIE COMES HOME and two sequels to the film. He directed the ‘40s version of THE SECRET GARDEN, too, a pretty classic picture in its own right. He only made one more film after FORBIDDEN PLANET, and it makes me sad. He was almost 50 when he made the movie, though. He just got a late start on things. Maybe all that experience he’d gained is what paid off in PLANET, though. Whatever the case, it’s impressive.
The disc features three documentary featurettes (one on SF in general, one on Robbie, and one about the film), as well as an episode of the THIN MAN TV series where Robby made a guest appearance and a film called THE INVISIBLE BOY that also used Robby as a way of cashing in on PLANET’s success. The show’s not great, and neither is the movie, but it’s nice they were included for Robby fans. There’s not much in the way of deleted scenes. You’ll see some effects tests and a few odds and ends, but not much else. That Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack mix is pretty sweet, though, and in the end, just having this nice a print of the film is reason enough to recommend this disc wholeheartedly.
The collector tin comes with a Robby toy, though. So splurge. More nerd furniture is always a good thing.
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
-
+ Expand All
-
I'll deffo be getting this
oh...first you muthas! -
Damn you Michael Bay
-
Since one of the recent news bits around here was about the Ron Moore written THING remake (which I still think has kick ass potential), whatever happened to the FORBIDDEN PLANET remake as well? Is that on or is it now officially dead? As for the DVD, can't wait to pick it up. I've always loved this movie and have always been a bit surprised -- given the way Hollywood thinks and operates -- that it never got remade or that MGM never took the official look and feel of the "Forbidden Planet universe" (that is the ship's design, the uniforms, Robby, the whole military in space storyline, etc) and used it as the launching point for a TV show or something...
-
But I love the F/X! There are even some shots in it, that still work TODAY!!!
-
Back in 2000?
-
..still a very good film though.
-
Flawless in execution. I'll be purchasing this directly. You can tell one thing though - all of the sad gits who normally post aren't here - why? Because they don't know this film. And that very fact defines them as sad vegetabular cretins. To miss this film, is to miss cinema itself.
-
I'll be picking this one up. Great atmosphere, great nostalgia, great film.
-
Great review Mori, I have the DVD and will be giving it to my dad for Christmas - though he always liked This Island Earth more. And this movie should be required viewing for all Star Trek fans, so they can see where Roddenberry stole large chunks of the show from...
-
I though I grew up watching Star Wars and Trek, my father made sure to show me the greats like FP, War of the Worlds and the Day the Earth Stood Still. I love them all to this day, perhaps more than I did as a child, but FP is the best by far and I'm excited to see this collection.
-
... it was called "Sphere."
-
Nov 20, 2006 8:00:36 AM CST
There is also a Special Edition coming out in Germany.
by derlanghaarige
But I'm sure it will carry less than half of the special features of THIS edition!
Damn, I need a codefree DVD Player :P -
I'll always be thankful to my 8th grade band director for recommending this film to me. I actually got to see it on the big screen twice over the past couple of years- once presented using the original Prespecta-Sound stereo procressing hardware.
Quick question for Moriarty- Are the deleted scenes in the new package the same as the ones on the old laserdisc? -
Any DVD set that comes with toys and lobby cards is pretty much worth the buy. Luckly, Forbidden Planet is totally rad in every possibly way, so this is defiantly a no-brainer purchase. I like how Willie Shakespear is “uncredited” as a writer. Shouldn’t he be credited in all films that use flimsy plot developments? He did invent them, after all.
-
and I think about it everytime i see the Robby replica at the Sony Metreon.
-
There may yet be hope for the human race.
-
Does anybody else remember that commercial? I think it was for a music collection. What a waste of a perfectly good robot.
-
If only they could all be as smart as this one.
-
Now this is a movie I absolutely have to have but I'm still not going to buy until things get sorted out in the hi-def format war. Looks like no more discs for a few years, even this one.
-
Love the movie, which is why I already own id, I mean it, on DVD. That and my 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' DVD are my nods to the era. Robbie aside, is this new release enough of a quality improvement from the previous issue to warrant a double dip into my wallet? My id, id, id needs to know. Thanks.
-
I'm glad I failed, cuz this Special Edition will be worth the wait!
-
Does anyone ever remember hearing of an alternate ending where the girl disappears from the space ship when the planet blows up because she was also a projection of Morphesus, but the producers thought the audience wouldn't accept it?
-
This film was made the year I was born, so it's cool on several levels for me personally. I love this movie and although I have it on DVD, I'm spending the cash for the new release. Hey, I need the Robbie toy to put next to The Iron Giant toy! Note that I think "The Invisible Boy" film is pretty good although it WAS changed quite a bit to get Robbie back on film quickly. Still, it's kind of neat as there's a Cold War vibe to it.
-
Nov 20, 2006 1:00:39 PM CST
Did you know that the owner of the original Robbie ...
by derlanghaarige
...is William Malone, director of "House On Haunted Hill" (Remake) and "Fear Dot Com"?
-
I've got the cardboard box version of this, and will own this new one soon enough. Is the transfer the same as on the DVD I have (which is pretty good anyway) or have they somehow punched it up? You know when there is that establishing shot of Morbius & the Commande in the bowels of the Krell city? That's just amazing! I've been luck enough to see this on a big screen three or four times now, I just wish one of the larger Cinerama-type screens here in DC (Uptown or the Senate in Baltimore) would have a cinemascope revival weekend or something and show us some of these treasures THE WAY WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SEE THEM!! I work with some pretty big monitors (61' LCD) and every now and then I get a projector to integrate...and this movie still begs for something bigger. When I get a new, big screen or monitor in for testing I'll pull out F.P. or TRON to put it through it's paces. Hell, I think I'm picking it up tonight on the way home....with the Robby doll, too. Remember the Mork & Mindy episode where Mork befriends Robby in the Museum, and then Robbie dies? Man, that made my whinny 8-year old ass cry like a bitch!!!!
-
Robbie at the inventors forum in "Gremlins"
I never use it, sir. It promotes RUST!!!
Too funny. -
This a great release that I've been looking forward to for months!
I wonder how big the Robbie replica is....
Speaking of a remake, I seem to recall talk of Irvin Kershner directing a remake in the mid 90s.
-
This is one of the great films from my childhood. I totally agree with Mori's review. It is genuinely scary at times and loved the idea of monsters of the id! It is a good movie for kids to see. Its an education in itself.
-
Love the visuals and the ideas/concepts in this movie like "United Planets," Krell civilization, Robby, and the terrible planetary force which tore limbs off people.
-
it always echoes and exudes that feeling of an endless adventure-bound exploration of the mysteries of the cosmos, makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
-
but still miles ahead of the crap Hollywood is churning out these days. Seen it on the big screen maybe 4 times. Liked the special effects, likes how we didn't get to see the monster, liked the cinematography. Didn't dig the music, Anne Francis and to be honest the story dragged a little. It's no "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "The Day The Earth Stood Still", or even "Them", but hey it's got Robby and Walter Pidgeon.
Anybody see the Columbo episode "Mind Over MAyhem" with Robby in it. -
I have held off buying this on DVD for years waiting for a good SE. I have loved this film since I first saw it aged 10 when it scared the pants off me. It is one of the few Sci-fi films that, even today, stands out as intelligent. The attitudes haven't aged well - it's sexist as hell but for me that adds to the charm. BTW the alternative ending sounds cool but wouldn't make much sense since *slight spoilers ahead* Morphious dies a week before they leave the planet (when the self destruct is pressed he tells them the planet will blow up in one week) so she can't be a projection of his mind.
-
That really sums it up. What a doll.
-
It's not often a movie changes your life, but this one did for me. Probably a teenager when i first saw it on TV, I had no clue about the analysis of dreams and Freudian Psychology. Introduced to it with this film for the first time, it was like a whole new world opening up. I found it fascinating and read all I could on it. Later I minored in Psychology, which gave me the tools needed to change directions. FB and Heinlein also added to my growing love for everything SciFi, the quantity and quality of which was decidedly less back then. I had to see this on TV (pre VHS) a few times over a period of years to really understand everything that was going on.
Mori, your review was outstanding. Perhaps you should have mentioned though the unique electronic tonalities of the Barron's which made this production even more special. Looking back, I think some of the SPFX are a little cringe inducing, especially the Disney animation. A few shots of the huge Krell machinery look very cartoonish. The saucer bouncing up and down on landing seems strange. In technical terms the early split screen blockings of the tiger are very apparent here, where maybe they weren't before on grainier versions. The starfields, blasters, krell metal, exponential dials were mind bending though as was Robbie. there's an interesting anecdote related to animating the 'monster'.... As I remember, the Suits were unhappy with it being invisible and added later the cartoon of it in the blaster beams. Purests attest that the original was by far better, and more frightening leaving the creature, fittingly, to one's imagination. I think it was Australian censors who didn't agree, saying the viewable monster was the one too scary, and only accepted the invisisble print, thus showing the superior version in their theaters by accident.
But obviously what made this film so incredible, as pointed out, were the cosmic concepts presented. Big questions, big ideas, that couldn't be contained or elaborated in one story. Imminently respectful of the audience, they threw it all out there though for us to absorb what we could. And much like our understanding of the universe then and now, without many answers. Of course, one of the familiar themes in the 50's questioned whether Man was ready for the fruit of all knowledge. Technology had produced the atomic bomb and there seemed nothing we could not both accomplish and destroy. This allegory was probably never so well presented though as with the telling of the Krell's sad story.
Spoiler Alert!!! One of the questions on first viewing is, "What the hell happened to Morbius?" To me, it was inferred that his brain could not accept his own Id at the door and simply blew a fuse, killing him in a few minutes. Amazing at that moment, he understood that the Krell knowledge which condemned him would also condemn mankind if not destroyed. Question too that Robbie was supposed to blow every circuit in his body, and yet was all fixed at the end without Morbius' help. Also, when exploring the Krell planetary machine, Morbius warns the crew with him not to look at the interior view of the reactor, "No one looks into the face of the Gorgon (Medusa) and lives." Yet, we clearly can see it's nothing special. This would have worked well if they had played it as his sense of humor, making a cryptic joke, and having a chuckle on them. Also, I think there was a little confusion, on me anyway, on whether the 'brain boost'/holographic machine was indeed the one that produced the Id monster. It really had to be. Also, when the equipment on board the ship is damaged, didn't the monster leave no tracks? Then we it came back to kill the Chief, it did? I thought of it as maybe being able to take more than one form. But these are mere quibbles in the scope of story which few movies then or now aspire to.
Be careful getting Robbie out of the packaging. It's very easy to break off one of his fragile attennae. Drat!
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 325 total posts 322 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 106 total posts 106 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 63 total posts 60 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 74 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 159 total posts 51 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 47 total posts 41 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 161 total posts 34 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 488 total posts 33 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 121 total posts 23 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 70 total posts 20 posts