I am willing to watch out most films, age, country, genre and movement. When I saw the cover for Forbidden Planet, I had to watch it. I am surprised that I haven’t heard much about Forbidden Planet, for to me it seems like a classic. It has many great elements, and I’m not too familiar with 50’s science-fiction films. There are quite a lot of allegories for the cold war, which today seems a bit trite; however, it never becomes an over-burden. This is the kind of film one would thing of as trashy, but the film is well produced and looks very good.
Actually, this is quite a crazy film. One of the highlights, and probably what the film is remembered the most for, is the robot, Robby. Every single line uttered by the robot is pure gold, and very humorous. The film has a very interesting aesthetic; it is very cold and distanced, with a psyched out electronic music track. This gives the film a very unique feel, and this style is kept throughout the film. There isn’t often one sees this kind of aesthetic in Hollywood films of the 50’s, so it was quite an interesting view. A lot of classic Hollywood elements, such as close ups and dramatic music in romantic scenes are omitted. Further, the film takes its time to discuss contemporary issues, such as humans (mis)use of technology, and also dwells into the human psyche. The films dwells into psychoanalysis, which usually isn’t very good for films, as such complicated issues are usually ham-fisted when dealt with, a good example of this is Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock, 1945). But it doesn’t rely too much on this issue, and the stuff it deals with in psychoanalysis isn’t too deep, so it is fair, however my brain always turns on an alarm when films do this, as it is usually not a good sign.
Many complain about the outdated special effects, however, I feel we shouldn’t be so jaded that we can let outdated special effects get in the way of our appreciation of some wonderful art design. Robby the robot looks absolutely hilarious, but in a very good way, and not in an “Ed Wood” kind of way. The scenery paintings of the planet look great, so does the look of some of the architecture in the film. It’s kind of like 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968), which has some of the most beautiful special effects ever made. They may be outdated compared to today’s standards, but the art direction is still wonderful, fantastically unique and beautiful. Besides, why get so carried away about special effects today when we know our kids will be laughing at how horrible today’s films look anyway. So the film, adopting a unique aesthetic is also very visually pleasing, and it never seems as if it is doing it just for the sake of the special effects, unlike so many films made today. The films structure is also good, if adequate; however, the middle part is stretched out a bit too much, while the later part is done to quickly. The film could easily have solved this by being something like 15 minutes longer; however, my guess is that production costs got in the way. It’s not a big draw though.
Forbidden Planet is a wonderful film, in so many ways. The inspired art direction, the wonderful scripts, the unique aesthetic style, and of course the quirky electronic soundtrack. It all fits neatly together, and is overall one of the more enjoyable science-fiction films I’ve seen from this period of cinema. Some may criticize the acting; however, I wouldn’t dwell on it. It works sufficiently, and is proper to the style the film has. I haven’t heard much about this film, but it is a great watch and recommended for all film buffs.
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