Classic Film Friday: Forbidden Planet

So, we, my wife and I, picked this movie because we thought "Hell, why not?" We had no movies on Netflix, and this one was available for instant viewing via the Roku player. It also stars Leslie Nielsen. Which would lead one to believe this would be funny, but apparently not, he didn't start the comedy thing until 1980 (Airplane!). In this movie he plays Commander John J. Adams.

So what do we have here? A 1956 sci-fi movie, a lot of synthesized music, Robby the Robot, and an extinct advanced race. Set in the 2200's, Man has made it to outer space, and has broken light speed. Why they don't have a radio to match that, I don't know, but anyway United Planets Cruiser C-57D is sent to the planet Altair IV some 16 light years away from Earth, to find out what happened to a group of scientists that went there some 20 years ago.

They only find Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), the expedition's philologist, who warns them to stay away, but gives no reason. Enter Robby the Robot, He chauffeurs the party to Morbius's house. There they talk to Morbius and try to figure out what happened to the rest of the party. Then comes Altaira (Anne Francis) Morbius's daughter.

C-57D is a ship that is full of men and have not seen a woman for a year, Altaira has had no interaction with anyone other that her father (her mother died years ago). And I'm sure you can guess what happens from there. Meanwhile Morbius explains that there was an advanced race that used to live on Altair IV, and he has discovered some things about them (and cannot go back to Earth).

I'll leave the rest up to you, I mean, I don't want to spoil it for anyone. The movie does have some good special effects, for the time, and innovative music (it's too blah for my tastes but to each his own), and it is the first appearance of the immortal Robby the Robot.