Forbidden Planet

Never mind the business about this sci-fi classic being loosely based on THE TEMPEST, this is just a great ol' yarn which still does the job a half a century later. Sadly it's slated to be remade and one can only hope they don't do what I'm afraid they've already done with THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Sure, Robby the Robot looks pretty silly by today's standards but back in the day he was the cat's ass! This film so influenced STAR TREK creator Gene Roddenbery took the number of the Enterprise from the time when the C57D entered orbit of Altair IV, 17:01! Great to see now funny man Leslie Nielsen play the straight face and Earl Holliman gives great comic relief as the cook. Though the effects are dated they still have a wonderful look and if you watch carefully you may notice Alta's (the lovely Anne Francis) garden is that of the Munchkin village in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Required viewing for sure.