n 2257 a reconnaissance spacecraft from Earth lands on distant Altair-IV to try to learn what happened to a research mission that left Earth 20 years earlier. What Commander Adams (Nielsen) and crew find is a planet of strange beauty, scientific marvels and only three inhabitants. Dr. Morbius (Pidgeon) is the lone surviving member of the ill-fated mission, a mysterious force having brutally killed all his crewmates while leaving him unscathed. With 20 years of time on his hands, the brilliant doctor has come no closer to unearthing the cause of this disaster, but he has not been idle.
He has labored to fathom the ruins of the advanced culture of the planet, and is assisted by the only other inhabitants of Altair-IV -- Robby, the Robot, and his daughter, Altaira (Francis), who was born on this strange world. Although it holds unknown terrors, Altair-IV also holds untold wonders. As Dr. Morbius shows Commander Adams the achievements of the planet's vanished race, Adams realizes that these fabulous technologies might yield miracles back on Earth. Morbius is uneasy, fearing the effect that such advanced works will have on an immature humanity, and fearing that same humanity's effect on the isolation and beauties of this mysterious planet.
As Adams' crew prepares to relay their discoveries to Earth and receive further instructions, the events of 20 years past seem to be repeating themselves. The deadly force that decimated the first crew reawakens, and key members of Adams' team are found murdered. And Dr. Morbius may not be revealing all he knows...
Great visuals, and acting to boot
From the first scenes it is clear that Forbidden Planet has a palpable visual whoosh. It is the artistic successor to the luminous, cool Metropolis and the icy crackle of Bride of Frankenstein. The alienness, queer beauty and sheer scale achieved by the sets, the color palettes and special effects has hardly had its equal since.
If the visual reigns in Forbidden Planet, the audial is its consort. In commercial film, sound often gets short shrift -- it's filler, it's inconsequential, and it's often recycled from other productions. Here, sound is character. These are not the re-warmed blips and twitters of an old ham radio. These are eerie and intriguing modulations that, combined with the art direction, make everything on Altair-IV ruthlessly alien and forbidding, yet irresistible and full of promise.
This film is no slouch either when it comes to plain old acting. All of the performers do their jobs simply and quietly, and there is no showboating here as is typical of other films of this period. Pidgeon is the remote intellect, Nielsen the able-yet-quirky commander, and Anne Francis gives a thankless role more than a mouthful of teeth. The only thing truly worth faulting is the end of the film, which collapses the action and plot unsatisfactorily and uncredibly in all of five minutes. Despite the leaden ending, the bulk of this film has aged well through the decades, largely because it can still invoke wonder...no mean feat.
