Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16407 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-06-18
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 94 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ahead of its time in many, many ways, Forbidden Planet has been cemented in its role as a science fiction classic over the past few decades, to the point where its 50th birthday is being marked with this special DVD release.

What’s more, the iconic film has never looked better. The print of Forbidden Planet has been buffed up to a terrific standard, and while it’s a cliché to report that it’s never looked better, we challenge anyone to disagree.

The film too is just as compelling. Set in the 23rd century, on a far and distant star Professor Morbius, his daughter and Robby the Robot are seemingly alone, until a space craft from Earth arrives. This sets events in motion that bring a real human core to a genre where such a factor, right to this day, is often lacking.

But it’s not just that which makes Forbidden Planet continually worthy of attention. The special effects, for instance, are astounding given the era in which the film was made, while the ideas and ambition that underpin the production are equally of merit. At heart, though, it was and is an utterly compelling movie, which has had a long and profound influence on the genre as a whole.

This 50th anniversary edition also comes armed with extra features, notably several documentaries. But after all these years, it’s still the film that’s the star, and you simply wouldn’t wager against it enduring for another 50 years after this. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
In the year 2257, a distant star has three inhabitants. Professor Morbius, his bewitching daughter, and Robby the Robot. When a space cruiser from Earth lands on the planet, the story develops into an adventure fantasy with elements of romance.

Customer Reviews

Shakespeare in space. No, really!
Long before CGI, long before Vangelis, we have Forbidden Planet. A film seriously ahead of its time, with a finely crafted plot, small cast, sparce special effects, and a soundtrack that simply adds to the atmosphere without getting in its way.

Oh, Shakespeare? Yes. The Tempest. The plot is loosely based on it. Island switched for planet, spirit switched for nasty 'thing', etc.
Its when you add in the simple plot twist, when you discover what the 'ID' actually is, and the hard-to-match attack sequence, that you get the quality of the production.

You really don't have to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate this film, and its a shame it hasn't been on TV in years.

No like gresham uk who have no imagination
Forbidden Planet is an icon of Sci Fi, for people who have never seen it should watch it. No blood no guts no sex scenes, honest good imaginative sci fi. People like Gresham UK should be banned from their comments that give the whole plot away of a superb film. He/she has no imagination and feels that they should tell everybody the plot. A very sad person, it is a sign of the times that even on TV adverts for films they insist on showing the best bits of a film, and parts from the beginning, middle and the very ending of a film. It then makes no point in seeing a film, just as Gresham UK has done with the ill conceived review that they posted.

Excellent special edition
The transfer and sound are just great, lots of special features, among them the - mostly laughable and weird, but sometimes thrilling and visionary - full-length feature "The Invisible Boy" by Herman Hoffman. One 50-minutes-documentary is worth pointing out: "Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us", containing in-depth-commentaries by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott and James Cameron.