Fans waited for several years for Warner Bros. to reissue the early classic of science fiction, Forbidden Planet. Fortunately, for the movie's 50th anniversary in 2006, the studio put together a whopper of a collection for one of the genre's crowning achievements.
The movie has never looked better, and on DVD, its striking visuals are a feast for the eyes. In particular, the matte paintings that served as the lovely planet scapes contain enough wonder to fire up the imagination. While the sort of rough terrain that is depcited in this movie may have been standard for alien planets in films that followed in the 1960s, films of the last several decades 
have lost the sense of wonder and awe of Forbidden Planet's vision of what Star Trek would later call the final frontier. The movie's visual effects continue to hold up quite well.
have lost the sense of wonder and awe of Forbidden Planet's vision of what Star Trek would later call the final frontier. The movie's visual effects continue to hold up quite well.The film is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, and deals with different sides of human nature fighting against each other. Despite its contemporaries in 1950s science fiction cinema - which are showcased on disc 2's excellent Watch The Skies documentary - this is mature subject matter, and - like 1951's The Day The Earth Stood Still - sets a very high standard for science fiction films. If you look back at the films of the last 50 years, you'll see that many more than not didn't live up to it. Indeed, it was Forbidden Planet's contemporaries and the tiny budgets they had to work with, that gave the genre the reputation as kiddie fare. That's an unfair label for such a thoughtful and challenging part of cinema history, and one look at Forbidden Planet and you will see it is undeserved.
With impressive performances by Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Neilson, the film is perhaps best remembered for the introduction of Robby The Robot, perhaps the first robotic movie star and grandfather of R2-D2 and C-3PO. The robot captured audiences' imaginations and even went on to have something of a career of his own, appearing in other movies and various television shows, including "The Thin Man" (that episode is included on the set), "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "The Addams Family," "Lost In Space," and two episodes of "The Twilight Zone". Robby even showed up in an episode of Pamela Anderson's sitcom "Stacked" in 2005.The DVD set includes reproductions of lobby cards for both Forbidden Planet and The Invisible Boy (which, as Robby The Robot's second movie, is also included here), as are several documentaries and fascinating deleted scenes and lost footage from the main feature. The set also includes a 4-inch replica of Robby The Robot, and all comes packaged in a handsome tin that makes use of the film's original poster artwork. And to top it all off, the set comes with a coupon for a free copy of that movie poster.
The importance of this film on the genre can't be overstated. Indeed, it's vision of space exploration and the use of technology had a very obvious and strong impact on the development of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, which has been a cornerstone of science fiction for more than 40 years. Historical impact aside, Forbidden Planet is a compelling movie which will spark your curiosity and imagination and make you wonder about the nature of men.
Warner Bros. deserves credit for doing such an impressive job on the DVD document of this movie. If only all our old favorites could fare as well. This is one of the best DVDs of the year.
More info: Science Fiction Filmsite: Forbidden Planet
