Forbidden Planet

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Forbidden Planet

G

Released Mar 15, 1956

1h 38m

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

92%

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52 Reviews

85%

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10,000+ Ratings

In this sci-fi classic, a spacecraft travels to the distant planet Altair IV to discover the fate of a group of scientists sent there decades earlier. When Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew arrive, they discover only two people: Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis), who was born on the remote planet. Soon, Adams begins to uncover the mystery of what happened on Altair IV, and why Morbius and Altaira are the sole survivors.

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Critics Consensus

Shakespeare gets the deluxe space treatment in Forbidden Planet, an adaptation of The Tempest with impressive sets and seamless special effects.

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TIME Magazine

[A] nifty interstellar meller.

Jul 26, 2011

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

An engaging 1956 science fiction gloss of Shakespeare's Tempest.

Jul 26, 2011

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Classic '50s sci-fi flick is campy fun.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 24, 2010

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

A dull science-fiction film that, despite the special effects, mostly remains in a safe zone of predictable clichés and one-dimensional characters that never add value to its planetary adventure in CinemaScope. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

May 7, 2025

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

An enthralling eye-popper.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 13, 2024

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Pat Padua

Washington City Paper

What <em>Forbidden Planet</em> lacks in iambic pentameter, it makes up for in highly saturated mid-century colors and special effects that may seem primitive but give a painterly elegance to the space-age journey.

Apr 17, 2024

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Tommy L

This movie is a classic si-fi for the ages. The special effects are surprisingly good even when compared with current state-of-the-art capabilities. The "monsters from the Id" theme that runs through the storyline creates a solid esoteric vibe that keeps the movie tight and focused and, most of all, coherent.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/22/25

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Fer S

The special effects are fantastic for the 1950s. You can clearly see how this movie directly influenced all of science fiction that came after. It was kinda slow though, and the acting not very good. It really deserves a modern remake to fix some outdated stuff.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/18/25

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John S

Quite impressive for it's era.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

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Daniel C. M

Probably the ultimate retro sci-fi movie. Very ahead of it's time, with effects and visuals that aged like wine, great characters, and a fast-paced yet meaningful story that manages to derive enough from it's source material for it to be original.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/25

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David S

I grew up in the disco, 80s era of entertainment - with only a handful of stations on the TV to watch - and no DVR - no VCR till the mid 80s- obviously when this came on I couldn't take my eyes off the screen -yes I had a crush on her - lol- landmark sci-fi of its day!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/05/25

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Audience Member

One of two films from the 50's along with "The Day the Earth Stood Still" that legitimized science fiction, with the lovely Anne Francis spicing things up considerably. This was recurring Saturday afternoon Creature Feature fare for years back in the 60's, but it stands head and shoulders above the others.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/24

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Fred M. Wilcox

Director

Walter Pidgeon

Dr. Edward Morbius

Anne Francis

Altaira Morbius

Leslie Nielsen

Commander John J. Adams

Warren Stevens

Lt. "Doc" Ostrow

Jack Kelly

Lt. Jerry Farman

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Synopsis

In this sci-fi classic, a spacecraft travels to the distant planet Altair IV to discover the fate of a group of scientists sent there decades earlier. When Commander John J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew arrive, they discover only two people: Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis), who was born on the remote planet. Soon, Adams begins to uncover the mystery of what happened on Altair IV, and why Morbius and Altaira are the sole survivors.

Director: Fred M. Wilcox
Producer: Nicholas Nayfack
Screenwriter: William Shakespeare, Irving Block, Cyril Hume
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Criterion Collection
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: G
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 15, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 25, 2008
Runtime: 1h 38m

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