Overview: One of the all-time greats of science-fiction cinema, Forbidden Planet elevated the genre to a whole new level, transposing Shakespeare’s The Tempest into deepest space and breaking new ground with its iconic designs, elaborate sets, and pioneering electronic score. In the 23rd century, a United Planets starship is dispatched to the distant planet of Altair IV to determine the fate of an earlier expedition.

Warned not to land, Commander John Adams (Leslie Nielsen) does so anyway and discovers Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis), and a robot named Robby; the only survivors of the former crew, all of whom perished at the hands of an unseen force that also destroyed their ship. Now that unseen force is moving again, but what is it? Where does it come from? And how is it connected to the long dead civilization that once inhabited Altair IV?

For the very first time, Forbidden Planet is presented in its original Cinemascope aspect ratio of 2.55:1 with its theatrical Perspecta stereo soundtrack in an eye-popping brand new 4K restoration that is out of this world!

4K Blu-ray Verdict: I’m always so frustrated that the majority of science fiction movies are really intergalactic westerns or war dramas. Even Star Wars which is visually brilliant, has one of its central images, a futuristic gang that couldn’t shoot straight. Imagine you’re coming upon about 600 people with conventional weapons, most of them having an open shot, and they miss!

I have read much science fiction and wish there were more movies for the thinking person. Forbidden Planet, one of the earliest of the genre, is still one of the very best. The story is based on a long extinct civilization, the Krell, who created machines which could boost the intelligence of any being by quantum leaps. Unfortunately, what they hadn’t bargained for, is that the brain is a center for other thoughts than intellectual.

The primitive aspect of the brain, the Id, as Freud called it, is allowed to go unchecked. It is released in sleep, a bad dream come to corporeal existence. Walter Pigeon, Dr. Morbius, is the one who has jacked his brain to this level, and with it has built machines and defenses that keep him barely one step ahead of the horrors of the recesses of his own mind. His thoughts are creating horrors that he soon will not be able to defend. The Krell, a much superior species, could not stop it; it destroyed them.

The landing party has never been of great interest to me. The rest of the actors are pretty interchangeable. Ann Francis is beautiful and naive and certainly would have produced quite a reaction in the fifties adolescent male. Her father’s ire is exacerbated by her innocence and the wolfy fifties’ astronauts (for they are more like construction workers on the make than real astronauts). They are always trying to figure out dames.

The cook is a great character, with his obsession for hooch. Robbie the Robot has much more personality than most of the crew, and one wonders if Mr. Spock may not be a soulmate to the literal thinking of this artificial creature. The whole movie is very satisfying because the situation is the star. Morbius can’t turn back and so he is destined to destroy himself and everything with him. There are few science fiction films that are worth seeing more than once; this is one that can coast right into the 21st century. [H.C.].

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

Forbidden Planet Original Trailer

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com