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Before I summarize my points supporting the premise of this movie, I would like to point out one negative aspect that I have noticed – how other characters in the movie view Dr. Morbius’s daughter Altaira (Anne Francis). This is not a negative towards the actress in any way; she acts brilliantly. However, while in the fifties, sci-fi/monster/horror movies often depicted women in ways that contemporary audiences would find cringe-worthy, I find that this character is unduly mistreated even compared to that level. Her father does attempt to be domineering, however, she is independent enough to stand up to his more cruelly tyrannical demands. The primary concern with regard to the treatment of the character is the saucer crew. We are told that it is more than a year since the all-male crew has seen a woman, however, the more hardcore members of the core crew and Altaira do not seem to be comfortable with each other. Fortunately, it never crosses into dangerous territory, but it certainly does for some time. Correspondingly, there is to do with her situation with the commander. It does get better as the film goes on which is a good thing, but it is one of those things that rub some people the wrong way and I completely understand why.
While this does not prevent me from enjoying this otherwise excellent film, it is something that I feel needs to be mentioned. I can now concentrate on the positive aspects of the film. Most of the movie is very well done. I will fret on a couple of details at the movie’s opening. The basic story should be familiar to science fiction fans; a colony planet (Altair IV) went dark for a while and a ship was sent to check it out. The cruiser is the C-57D. The ship itself is quite interesting. It is a flying saucer, which is not so unusual for the fifties, but it is manned by humans as part of a future Earth space nation instead of aliens, which was rather striking to me.
Compared to older sci-fi films, the time period in which it is set in seems much more real. In fact, it has a greater “hard science” feel than a lot of these movies do. Because of this, the movie is less dated than most sci-fi films produced in the 50’s. It isn’t bordering on pure hard science fiction, but its realism makes the experience believable, even when it goes into the realm of fantasy.
It doesn’t take long for us to learn that the colony does exist, but not in its full form. The last surviving member of the original team, Doctor Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), is not particularly helpful, though he is not particularly hostile either. Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) is not having any of Morbius’ evasiveness, and takes charge early by landing the ship. He lets Morbius know that he is now in charge. Adams doesn’t like the fact that Morbius is so cryptic about the reasons why he claims to be immune, and the possible danger he poses.
It becomes increasingly strange when the crew meets Robby the Robot, a machine that is incredibly advanced but one which Dr Morbius openly boasts of building himself which makes the newcomers even more sceptical about the Doctor. In fact,-between the Doctor and his lovely, but enigmatic, daughter, there is a lot that is not said. The audience, along with the ship, experiences some very abnormal occurrences when the landing site and doors of the saucer is opened. The mystery only seems to build as the film progresses.
Adams feels somewhat disappointed with Morbius’s actions, but that turns into severe rage when crew members start disappearing on their own. At last, Morbius concedes and provides him with an intriguing walkthrough of what lies underneath the surface of the planet, which does partially enable him to understand how Morbius was even able to achieve all that with only him and his daughter left, although certainly does not explain the entire situation. The reasons as to why the rest of the original colonists, and some of Adams’ crew, are dead are slowly revealed to the commander and some central members of his crew, things that not even Morbius himself believes at first confronting the entire situation. This all culminates into some dreadful moments and impressive special effects, for a movie assembled in 1956.
This is a much more intelligent movie than most science fiction made during the fifties, and I would say it is more intelligent than many science fiction films of all eras. The fifties saw a plethora of films showcasing alien invasions, radioactive creatures, and the like, but this particular movie explores ideas beyond the surface level of ‘radiation bad’ or ‘communism scary.’ It makes us ponder about our subconscious, our personally darker sides, and how such things could interact with sufficiently sophisticated technology in a disasterous fashion. As well, it shows how a person who isn’t evil or malicious by nature can possess these darker notions dangerously embedded within their psyche.
A great movie with a good cast combined with interesting concepts, a couple of moments of comic relief (just enough here and there as to not ruin the experience), and decent special effects for the time. I think some of the situations involving Altaira are the only things that detract from the film, and even that is a stretch. Forbidden Planet is one of those movies that earned its reputation and was a source of inspiration for so many other creators in the Science Fiction genre that so many of us adore.
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