5 Star

Stunning True Classic Sci-Fi.

Welcome to the classic Sci-Fi that is M.G.M.s 1956 Forbidden Planet, written by Allen Adler (The Giant Behemoth) and Irving Block (War of the Satellites), with a heavy nod to William Shakespeare‘s The Tempest. With groundbreaking special effects and an original electronic soundtrack that sets this film apart from all the other Sci-Fi films of its time. Directed by Fred M. Wilcox (Lassie Come Home, Code Two) who commands the great talents of the age. Now Arrow Video brings this film to a 4K UHD restoration plus many Special Features (See Below). Forbidden Planet is a must for any Sci-Fi fan young or older.

In the final decade of the 21st Century, men and women in rocket ships landed on the moon. By 2200 A.D., they had reached the other planets of our solar system. Almost at once there followed the discovery of hyperdrive through which the speed of light was first obtained and later greatly surpassed. And so, at last, mankind began the conquest and colonization of deep space. United Planets Cruiser C57D, now more than a year out from Earth Base on a special mission to the planetary system of the great main-sequence star Altair.

In the 23rd century, United Planets starship C-57D has spent three-hundred-and-seventy-eight days in hyperspace. Now they approach Altair-4, Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen, Santa Who?, Airplane!) gives the order to drop out of light speed, before making the approach to the planet. They are warned off by the scientist Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon, How Green Was My Valley, Funny Girl) who landed on the planet twenty years earlier.

The Bellerophon was full of scientists to explore the new world. Commander Adams, Lt. ‘Doc’ Ostrow (Warren Stevens, Star Trek (TV Series), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (TV Series)), Lt. Farman (Jack Kelly, A Fever in the Blood, Drive a Crooked Road) and Chief Quinn (Richard Anderson, The Six Million Dollar Man (TV Series), Paths of Glory) have been ordered to check on the colonists after their twenty years on the Planet. You can’t travel for more than a year with food, and the provider of sustenance is Cook (Earl Holliman, The Sons of Katie Elder, Giant) who provides some well needed lighter moments.

Another one of them new worlds. No beer, no women, no pool parlors, nothin’. Nothin’ to do but throw rocks at tin cans, and we gotta bring our own tin cans.

They are told to land in the desert away from Morbius’ location, and as they prepare the tractor for transport, a high-speed dust column is spotted, this turns out to be Robby the Robot (Himself, The Invisible Boy, The Thin Man (TV Series)) driving their transport.

When they meet Morbius they are given a story of survival, and how his skill in philology gave him the skills to build the amazing Robby due to the knowledge of the original inhabitants of Altair-4 the Krell. A civilization was a million years ahead in evolution to present human knowledge. But they died out in one night some two-thousand centuries ago.

Over coffee, they are told the passengers of the Bellerophon were all killed my a mysterious force on the planet, only he and his now deceased wife were spared the fate of the Bellerophon. Then they are shocked to find that Morbius has a daughter Altaria (Anne Francis, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Satan Bug), a naive young woman (26) who has never seen a male, other than her elderly father, and the guys have been travelling at light speed for over a year.

Morbius had warned not to land, and when mysterious things start happening and the bodies start to pile up, there is a dangerous mystery to solve.

This is the best space opera ever.

We’re all part monsters in our subconscious! So we have laws and religion.

Forbidden Planet Limited Edition  is available on 4K UHD

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films in the original 2.55:1 aspect ratio
• Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork options
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
• Collectors’ booklet containing new writing by critics Frank Collins and Johnny Mains, plus select archival material

 

DISC 1 – FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Restored original lossless mono, restored original Perspecta stereo, and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the hard-of-hearing
• Brand-new audio commentary by film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw

 

DISC 2 – EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

• Unearthly Aura, a newly filmed appreciation of Bebe & Louis Barron’s pioneering electronic score by historian and composer Neil Brand
• Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, The 1950s and Us, an archival documentary
• Amazing!: Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet, an archival documentary
• Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-FiIcon, an archival featurette
• Deleted Scenes
• Lost Footage
• The Invisible Boy, a bonus movie featuring Robby the Robot in his second feature film
• “Robot Client,” an episode of The Thin Man TV series featuring Robby the Robot
• Two excerpts from MGM Parade
• Original Shooting Script
• Theatrical trailer
• Image galleries