This is perhaps one of the better science fiction movies ever made, despite it being released in 1956, with now campy special effects, cheesy character development and predictable plot.  Predictability mainly comes from the general structure of the story having been used in all sorts of other movies.  In fact, Forbidden Planet is based loosely on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  The film recognizes some of the most basic forms of humanity while at the same time taking a look at the ‘high road’ as not something all-together separate, but connected to the ‘lower’ path in a deeply intrinsic way.

Set hundreds of years in the future, man has reached unimaginable technological heights and is now traipsing around the galaxy, colonizing planet after planet.  One vessel is bound for Altair IV to find out what happened to an expedition of scientists and colonists who were sent there 20 years before.  As the crew enters the atmosphere, they are contacted by Dr. Edward Morbius, who warns, begs, and pleas for them to turn back.  Ignoring his warnings the ship lands, only to find Morbius living comfortably with his daughter and a robot (Robby) who is advanced beyond all earthly standards.  It’s hard to discuss the greatness of this movie without revealing the plot, so I will not attempt to do so.  If you don’t want the movie to be spoiled for you, stop reading now.

Through the events of the movie we learn Morbius and his daughter are the last remnants of the first expedition, as well as the sole keepers to the technological advancements of an ancient race named the Krell, whom were wiped out in a single night “2,000 centuries” ago.  The Krell had many technological advancements, one was an educator that literally boosted brain power, a device the good doctor has been using for years and that allowed him to create Robby.  As well as the impenetrable Krell super metal that absorbs all energy .  The most mysterious though is a giant (now underground) installation able to provide an almost infinite amount of energy, but whose purpose is unknown.  After a succession of mysterious attacks on the newcomers’ ship, Commander Adams and Dr. Ostrow take it upon themselves to save the Morbius family and use the educator to help solve the mystery of Altair IV and its invisible assailant.  During the climax of the film, Ostrow fatally uses the educator to reveal the secret of the installation, which we find was used to project anything the Krell thought into reality.  The poor doctors last words are that the Krell forgot one thing, “monsters from the id.”

Through the last confrontation with Dr. Morbius, it is learned that the downfall of the Krell was that their great machine worked too well.  The noble Krell were able to utilize the infinite power provided by their technology and literally project their thought into reality.  But due to their subconscious minds having full access to this same power, their base thoughts of greed, revenge and hate were able to have form as well, thus their minds destroyed their entire race in one fatal night.  This proved Morbius subconscious to be the culprit behind every death on Altair IV due to his strong connection with the Krell laboratory.  The last scenes are intense as we realize the monster pursuing Adams and the Morbius family is simply an incarnation of the doctor himself.

50 years later, those sets are still cool.

This is high science fiction at its best.  Perhaps a bit predictable, but none the less, facing real issues of mans own technological might.  What heights can we attain before we destroy ourselves?  With humanity evolving into more “noble” beings, what is left of the brute within?  Forbidden Planet claims it will never go away, even after millions of years of evolution.  Thoughts of violence and revenge will always have some small place in our minds.  And that is what we must protect ourselves against, not some physical force from the outside, but from the enemy within.  For only by ones own power can a person truly be destroyed.

While watching this movie, it came to mind why a remake of such a seminal piece of sci-fi hasn’t been remade.  A quick google search will show that it is though, and the screenwriter (J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, so no stranger to the genre) is attempting to do his very best by remaining true to the original film, as well as flush out more details of the back-story.  It’s also being produced by Joel Silver.  You should recognize that name, since his resume includes the new Sherlock Holmes, The Book of Eli, RocknRolla, Speed Racer, V for Vendetta, every Matrix movie, Die Hard 1 and 2, a few Lethal Weapons and basically a dozen or more other movies you’ve heard of.  Silver may have some bad movies under his belt, showing him to be a shotgun style producer but he’s certainly got enough talent in him to turn a remake of Forbidden Planet into something more than decent.  There are even whispers of James Cameron jumping on board.  There is concern over Hollywoods recent sci-fi remakes (IE The Day the Earth Stood Still), but given the right treatment, a re-envisioning of an old property could be a good thing.