When they arrive, Commander Adams (played by Leslie Nielsen) and his crew discover that, of the Bellerephon's crew, only the mysterious Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter (Anne Francis) have survived. Yet despite seemingly dire circumstances, Morbius has built a virtual paradise for himself, with the assistance of his futuristic servant, Robby the Robot, and some kind of advanced and previously unknown alien technology. Shortly after Adams informs Morbius of his orders to collect the doctor and his daughter and return them to Earth, an invisible force begins attacking his crew. And when Morbius refuses the order to leave, Adams and his men quickly discover the doctor's shocking secret.
Directed by Fred McLeod Wilcox and filmed in spectacular CinemaScope, Forbidden Planet had a tremendous influence on virtually every sci-fi film and TV series that followed it. A surprisingly adept retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest, it was one of the first genre films to treat its subject matter seriously, rather than playing it for camp in the over-dramatic style that dominated 1950s B-grade fare. Pigeon is terrific here as the brilliant, but egomaniacal, Dr. Morbius. It's also easy to forget that, long before the Naked Gun films, Leslie Nielson made quite a name for himself in serious acting roles. And if you look closely, savvy genre fans will also spot another familiar face... Richard Anderson as the ship's chief engineer (you might know him better as Oscar Goldman from The Six Million Dollar Man). With its then breakthrough special effects, its highly-stylized production design, and its eerie electronic score, Forbidden Planet is simply not to be missed. (The Digital Bits)
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