Forbidden Planet

A starship crew goes to investigate the silence of a planet’s colony only to find two survivors and a deadly secret that one of them has.

• Director: Fred M. Wilcox
• Genre:Drama / Romance / Sci-Fi / Thriller
• Runtime:94 minutes

Cast

Walter Pidgeon : Dr. Edward Morbius
Anne Francis : Altaira ‘Alta’ Morbius
Leslie Nielsen : Commander J. J. Adams
Warren Stevens : Lt. ‘Doc’ Ostrow M.D.
Jack Kelly : Lt. Jerry Farman

In the early 23rd century, the United Planets Cruiser C-57D is sent to the planet Altair IV, 16 light-years from Earth, to investigate the disappearance of a colony expedition sent 20 years earlier. Before landing, the ship is contacted by Dr. Edward Morbius, who warns them to stay away.

Upon landing, the ship is met by Robby the Robot, who takes Commander John J. Adams, Lieutenant Jerry Farman, and Lieutenant “Doc” Ostrow to Morbius’ home. Morbius explains to them that an unknown force killed all of the other members of his crew and destroyed their starship, the Bellerophon. Only Morbius, his wife (who died later of natural causes), and his daughter Altaira, now 19 years old, survived. He fears that the crew of the C-57D will suffer the same fate. Altaira has never met a man besides her father, and is interested in getting to know the new arrivals and learn about human relations.

Morbius explains that he has been studying the Krell, the natives of Altair IV who, despite being far more advanced than humanity, had all mysteriously died in a single night 200,000 years before, just as they had achieved their greatest triumph. He shows them a device that he calls a “plastic educator”. Morbius notes that the captain of the Bellerophon tried it, and was killed instantly. When Morbius used it though, he barely survived, and doubled his intellect in the process. He claims that that enabled him to build Robby and the other technological marvels in his home. Morbius then takes them on a tour of a vast cube-shaped underground Krell installation, 20 miles on a side and powered by 9,200 thermonuclear reactors, which has been operating and self-repairing itself since the extinction of the Krell. When asked its purpose, Morbius cannot answer. Read more