“The planet in question is Altair 4, where a space-age Prospero urgently warns his would-be rescuers against landing. But they do, and it looks like (with a reasonable stretch of the imagination) a new Garden of Eden, peopled by Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, and Robby the Robot. Lurking in the night, however, is a formidable Caliban, bent on murder; the identification and destruction of this monstrosity is an enthralling and complex process, told with dignity and ingenuity which established the film at the time of its release as a work of considerable maturity and power.” National Film Theatre, London
“The best written science fiction investigates the implications of technology, the human/technological interface. Unfortunately, very few sci-fi films ever transcend their special effects to explore this ideological area at the heart of speculative fiction. Forbidden Planet...stands with 2001 as an outstanding example of just how good a serious sci-fi film can be.” Michael Goodwin