The one that got me started.
Hey guys,
Well I am finally back online after being with out the internet. Longest two weeks of my life! This time I thought I would go back to the very beginning. To the movie that started me on the road to geekness. When I first got here and got to looking at all of dad’s old dvd’s I saw a lot of cool covers and names, but I had no idea where to start. What was good, what was bad, what was worth watching? So dad pulled down this one and said if I wanted a good Sci Fi movie, one that is a classic in every sense of the word; I should start with this. It has spaceships, a mad scientist, a robot, ray guns and monsters.
Now Slice has a thing going of the best memories of Sci Fi that got us all started, I already sent in one of mine, but this one got dad started and then me later on. It is one of the best out there and I just know if it is new to any of you; you will love it too.
This time around we go way back again, back to the beginnings, when Sci Fi and space travel was something of fiction, back in the days of pulp fiction, full of bug eyed monsters; pretty woman in distress and human beings exploring what is out there. I give you guys a real treat, this time I review the classic;
Forbidden Planet – A dvd review by Darcy Low.
From the back of the dvd: “ One of the most ambitious and intelligent films of its genre. A startling science fiction story conceived on a positively intellectual level. Forbidden Planet is innovative, intriguing, and one of the most celebrated and imitated films of it’s kind. Featuring riveting performances, astonishing Oscar nominated special effects and the first ever all electronic musical score. Forbidden Planet is the best of the science fiction interstellar productions of the 1950’s and a landmark masterpiece. In the year 2257, a spaceship ventures to the planet Altair VI; where a earth colony has mysteriously vanished years earlier. There, commander Adams (Leslie Nelson) and his crew discover colony survivors; Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) , his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis) and their mechanized servant, Robbie the robot. But to their horror, they also discover a invisible but massively destructive force which savagely attacks their ship. And threatens to destroy their lives!”
I tell you what, this is one of the coolest old movies ever! The sounds, the music, the acting, everything about this film is just too cool! When the movie starts out, the spaceship is just coming out of hyperspace and enters orbit around the planet Altair IV. Years ago a colony of scientists were sent there to explore and colonize the planet. They found ruins of a ancient culture, a race that was much more advanced than our own. Dr Morbius is the type of scientist that studies languages, so he went to work trying to figure out their writings and what happened to the race. As they all work, the scientists are struck down with a mysterious plague. Each one dies, leaving only Dr. Morbious and his young daughter alive. He has no idea what killed them, only that his wife died as well and he buried each person himself.
The crew of the spaceship is met by Robbie. Which is the coolest robot in a movie ever! (Dad even has a model of him sitting next to his computer.) He is far advanced by anything humans could build at the time. He takes the Captain, the Doctor and another crew member to see Morbius. Morbius nearly begged them not to land, that he was fine and needed no help at all. telling them almost to turn back and just leave him be. Which is very curious, given everything that has happened. He shows them around his home, and explains what he is doing. He also shows them a lot of gadgets that the home has, which like Robbie; is far beyond anything the crew has seen before and is more advanced than we could ever build. (A lot of the stuff you see here, comes up later in Sci Fi, a lot of it is in Star Trek. So that should tell you how good this movie is, seeing how people have been influenced by it.) He tells them that he himself built all of this, including Robbie! It was all thing the race of the planet built themselves, he just followed the blueprints. He tells them all of this to prove to them just how safe he is, how he and his daughter have everything they need and how they do not need any rescue. As he says this though, two things seem clear. One he is very egotistic and aggorgant. But there is fear there as well, almost panic.
When his daughter shows up, we see that she is very pretty and very innocent. Having lived her entire life there with her father, she doesn’t know anything but what he has told her. Dr. Morbius becomes angry with her, having forbid her to come around while the Captain and his crew were there. (This was always curious to me, being protective of her is one thing. But this just seemed extreme to me the way he acted.) The crew, all of them men who have been locked up traveling in space for a long time, fall for her looks. Which doesn’t help with their trying gain her father’s trust.
The Captain tells Morbius that he still has his orders, but that he will contact earth and let them know what is going on, to see what they want him to do. But in order to even send a message, they have to build a transformer out of parts from the ship in order to send a message that far. Which will take days, even with Robbie’s help. So they are stuck there, where the Doctor likes it or not. Morbious blows up and says that he is not responsible for anything that “might” happen, and that he and his daughter were not effected by the sickness that killed off the other scientist, but that’s not to say the Captain and crew might not get it.
As the crew begins to build the transformer, a series of mysterious deaths and mishaps happen. Destroying parts they need to contact earth, which forces them to stay longer than expected. With only the crew, Morbius and his daughter on the planet, the list of suspects is not very long. It couldn’t be Robbie, although he is strong enough to push over the over two tons of lead in one hand, he has programing that will no allow him to harm a human being unless it is to save the doctor and his daughter, or to save himself. He is even given the Captain’s blaster, told to take aim at his head and to pull the trigger. He was not able to do so, in fact all his circuits well blow if he tries long enough. So he can’t be the one. And the daughter is much too sweet and innocent. Morbius himself is far too interested in his research, and only wishes to be left alone. The Captain has the guarded and sets up a fence and automatic guns. And a cast is made from the giant footprints left around the ship, it seems the killer is a large alien creature, but one that should not exist. It has a claw on the foot for climbing trees like a monkey, but has the foot of a creature that would walk on all fours like a elephant. None of it makes any sense. As they are testing the fence and guns, the ship and crew is attacked! The creature is invisible! Having chased it off, with the lost of more men. The Captain and the doctor race back to warn Morbius and his daughter, that they know what killed the colony and why they are in danger. The mystery has been solved……or has it?
If you can’t tell by now, this is my all time favorite old sci fi movie. When dad sat me down the first time, he said if I really wanted to see how good a science fiction movie can be; then this is the place to start. And he was so right. I said this was a murder mystery, and it is. But there are other mysteries to the plot as well. Like what happened to the original people of the planet and why if they were so advanced, did they cease to be now? And why is it Dr Morbius and his daughter where the only ones to survive after all this time?
What is really cool about this movie for me is the story. Oh sure you got some really cool special effects, and the music and sound effects are the best; but it’s the whole story that I just love. I heard it is a lot like a Shakespere play called Tempest? I don’t know about that, not ever read that.
The other thing that sets this movie apart is the actors themselves. This was Leslie Nelson’s first staring role, he went on to do comedy in Airplane and Naked Gun. (Should have stuck with sci fi, but that’s just me. 
)
Walter Pidgeon who started out as a banker but grew tired of that and decided to be come a actor. He got his first staring role back in the thirties, and you can tell by his proformance here; he made a wise choice.
Anne Francis, who started her career at age five as a child model, she was also in the old film Blackboard Jungle, which dad says is a good one. She is also known to geeks from episodes of the old Twilight Zone.
Robbie was voiced by a local St Louis legend here, Marvin Miller. Who got his start in radio here, and when he passed away in 1985 got his star on the walk of fame in University City.
So there you go guys. My all time favorite old Sci Fi movie, the one that got me started on this geeky road. If you have seen it, watch it again. And if your kid’s have never seen it, you owe it to them to sit and watch it together. The creature might be scary to young kids, but it is only on for a few seconds. The movie is rated G, so there is really nothing for parents to be concerned about.
Find it, get it, own it. It’s the best out there!
Darcy
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