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FORBIDDEN PLANET - 1956
20th Century Fox
Rated: N/A |
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Theremin music rocks!
Okay, maybe it's an acquired taste, but if you were raised on horror and sci-fi movies
there's gotta be a special place in your heart for that weird electronic
scary music.
FORBIDDEN PLANET was directed by Fred M. Wilcox (Shadow in the Sky)
and written by Cyril Hume (Tarzan's Savage Fury, Ransom), Allen Adler (PARASITE) and Irving Block (THE 30 FOOT BRIDE OF CANDY ROCK, THE SAGA OF THE VIKING WOMEN AND THEIR VOYAGE TO THE WATERS OF THE GREAT SEA SERPENT)
and is based on Shakespeare's "The Tempest".
The story begins with the arrival at Altair (a star similar
in size to our sun but quite a bit brighter) of a military starship
from Earth. Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen:
CREEPSHOW, DAY OF THE ANIMALS) and his men have spent a year in
hyperspace to reach Altair in order to find out whathappened to an ill-fated
previous expedition. A group of scientists went to explore the Altair
system and and were never heard from again.
WHEN OUR TECHNOLOGY IS ADVANCED ENOUGH, WE'LL HAVE FLYING SAUCERS |
They gointo orbit around Altair IV after the Commander and his close shipmate
Doc Ostrow (Warren Stevens: CYBORG 2087, THE STUDENT BODY) pause to admire an arranged eclipse.
At first they can find no trace of the previous expedition. Then frighteningly
powerful radar scans hit the ship followed by a radio message from Dr.
Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon: THE NEPTUNE FACTOR) asking just who the hell they are. When Commander Adams delivers what
he thinks will be welcome news, that he's there to rescue Morbius and
his colleagues, Morbius just says thanks but no thanks, no need to land,
goodbye! A little miffed at the lack of gratitude but determined to follow
his orders, the Commander lands anyway.
The ship sets down in a desert surrounded by rocky hills. No sooner have the men
left the ship, hardly having time to admire the green sky and two moons,
than a vehicle approaches at a mad pace. The very 50's-futuristic looking
ground car is driven by Robby the Robot (Marvin Miller - voice: THE DEADLY MANTIS, KING DINOSAUR) who politely asks Commander Adams and company to get in, please. Clearly AI (Artificial Intelligence)
tech like this doesn't exist on Earth. Adams and Doc aren't certain what
to make of Robby. The Commander, apparently just trying to make conversation,
comments to Robby about Altair IV's atmosphere, noting the high oxygen
content. Robby replies,"I rarely use it myself, sir. It promotes
rust." Since Robby would have to be made out of advanced synthetics
and little or no iron, this wasn't a Data-like misunderstanding. This
was dry AI humor.
Robby delivers Adams, Doc and Lt. Jerry Farman (Jack Kelly: THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR, CULT OF THE COBRA) to the house of Dr. Morbius (the only building on the whole planet).
Morbius apologizes for being short with them before they landed, explaining
that he's been a recluse for many years. He is more polite, but still
tries to give them the bum's rush, basically saying, "See, I'm fine,
everything's fine, now please leave."
IT WAS ONE LOUSY YEAR IN SPACE, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ITS GETTING BETTER! |
The beautiful Altaira (Anne Francis: THE SATAN BUG, BRAINSTORM), Morbius' adult daughter, chooses that moment to enter the room. She's
a sight for sore eyes to the lonely spacemen and is quickly cornered by the very horny Lt. Farman. While Farman is busy bad-mouthing his friends to deflect Altaira's interest in them, Morbius explains that the rest
of the members of his expedition are long dead. A mysterious, unseen creature
that came in the night and tore them limb from limb killed most of them.
The few survivors attempted to lift off in the expedition's ship, but the ship was immediately vaporized. Only Morbius and his wife (who stayed behind because they loved this planet) were inexplicably immune. Morbius' wife died not long after, of natural causes.
Altair IV's bloody past and the combination of Morbius' refusal to leave and his dire
warnings about the fate of the unwelcome space men if they don't leave
puts Commander Adams in an awkward position. He decides he must consult
his superiors back on Earth. Unfortunately this means building a communications
facility, which will take several days.
Strange happenings begin immediately. Late at night an invisible intruder enters
the ship and sabotages vital equipment. This results in Adams and Doc
paying an unexpected visit to the Morbius house where they discover what
Morbius was trying to keep secret. His house is built on the entrance
to the underground ruins of a powerful race, called the Krell, that inhabited
this planet 200,000 years ago. "Ruins" really isn't the right
word, since everything built by the Krell is self-repairing and self-cleaning
and all in perfect working order.
The unrepentedly arrogant Morbius (I love that guy!) explains
that his exposure to a Krell device has dramatically boosted his intelligence
and thus he alone is able to decide which of the Krell wonders humanity
is ready for. He makes it clear that it'll be a short list as Morbius
has a low opinion of his fellow man.
It was this brain boost that allowed Morbius to build Robby. The robot is tremendously
powerful but Morbius was apparently an Asimov fan because Robby's programming
includes Asimov's laws of robotics, making Robby incapable of harming
any rationale being.
!!!SCIENCE MOMENT!!!:
The opening narration (have I mentioned that I hate narration?) tells us that the space age begins when man reaches
the moon in the final decade of the 21st century. This movie was released
in 1956, just thirteen years before we reached the moon and five years
before Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. As always, science
fiction is rarely too imaginative. More often, it's not imaginative enough.
This is excellent, good old-fashioned sci-fi. The invisible monster (which you do get to see, eventually) gave me nightmares as a kid and still makes me nervous. And the explanation behind it, which also explains
Morbius' immunity and the fate of the Krell, is elegant and insightful into human nature.
I give FORBIDDEN PLANET an easy five Shriek Girls.
This review
copyright 2000 E.C.McMullen Jr.
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