Forbidden Planet
G

Forbidden Planet

Earthmen on a fabulous, peril-journey into outer space!

1956 • 98 min • Science Fiction · Adventure

Synopsis

Starship C57D travels to planet Altair 4 in search of the crew of spaceship "Bellerophon," a scientific expedition that has been missing for twenty years. They find themselves unwelcome by the expedition's lone survivor and warned of destruction by an invisible force if they don't turn back immediately.

Our family guide

Best from age 9
74
Movie Knight Score
1083 reviews
  • 75 Reviewers · 4 · 60%
  • 72 Audience · 1079 · 40%

A starship investigates a lost expedition on a distant planet, encountering an enigmatic scientist, his daughter, and a powerful robot. They soon discover a deadly, invisible force that threatens them all.

Violence & peril
4/10
Language
1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking
1/10
Romance & sensuality
2/10
Scary moments
6/10

Heads up

  • Invisible monster attacks characters
  • Some suggestive outfits and situations
  • Mysterious deaths occur

What it models well

  • Curiosity and exploration
  • Intellectual achievement
  • The dangers of unchecked power

Talk about it after

  • The impact of isolation on human behavior
  • The responsibility of scientific discovery
  • What makes something "human" (Robbie the Robot)

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Forbidden Planet. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

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Top billed cast

Director: Fred M. Wilcox • Crew: Cyril Hume, Irving Block, Allen Adler

Trailers & clips

Commander John J. Adams and His Crew Land on Altair IV (Clip)

Official Trailer

Invisible Monster Attack

Effects

Monster

All About Robby the Robot

Ben Burtt's Sound Lab for "Forbidden Planet"

Craig Barron on the Technology of "Forbidden Planet"

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

"Dr. Morbius" (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter "Altaira" (Anne Francis) are getting along fine on their planet of "Altair 4" when they receive a radio signal from an incoming ship. Despite being given the cold shoulder, they land and are soon enquiring as to where the remainder of the expedition went. He informs the captain "Adams" (Leslie Nielsen) and the doctor "Ostrow" (Warren Stevens) that they all died myste...

Not recommended

**A sci-fi landmark that, however, is quite dated and has aged poorly.** I confess that I expected more from this film. Its impact at the time is undeniable, and it is a renowned classic of sci-fi cinema. In fact, we can almost say that it is part of the “pantheon” of founding films of this genre of cinema, as it was one of the first big-budget sci-fi films with a great public impact. The best thing this fil...

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

**_The 50's prototype Sci-Fi film and... Anne Francis_** I didn't see "Forbidden Planet" (1956) until a full four decades after it's debut. I've seen it a few more times since then and here's what strikes me: For one, although Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is undeniably great, practically every primary aspect of Trek is present in "Forbidden Planet," which was released almost a decade before the first S...

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

Your mind refuses to face the conclusion. Forbidden Planet is directed by Fred M. Wilcox and stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, and Leslie Nielsen. Screenplay is written by Cyril Hume from an original story by Irving Block & Allen Adler (original title being Fatal Planet). It is a CinemaScope production out of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and is shot in Eastman Color (not Metrocolor as suggested on some sources) by cin...

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