What I always felt was a big mistake . . . - Forbidden Planet (1958) Discussion

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Deluge69-663-991830 9 years ago

It's too bad, though. Back then, it all had to be neatly tied up (though INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN broke that code).

I always harbored the afterthought of the Krell Lab still out there, ready to reactivate. And to see more of it. I got hooked.

Even STAR TREK could have had a (two-part)FP sequel episode. Though it would have entailed a much higher budget they weren't allotted back then.

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[–] psychocosmic-1 9 years ago

****It's too bad, though. Back then, it all had to be neatly tied up (though INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN broke that code). *****

But where do you go with guy who is small as lice?

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] psychocosmic-1 9 years ago

yeahh...how do you make a sequel to that? Scott Careys second adventure: Attack of the bacillus!

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[–] Deluge69-663-991830 9 years ago

I was never proposing a sequel to ISM. Just using it as a rare example of a 50's Sci-Fi that didn't have a happy or conveniently explained ending.

Felt FP should have left the ending a bit more open-ended.

The chance that someone (alien or from Earth) later discovers the lab. Maybe we even get a glimpse of a Krell.

Though some felt STAR TREK became a sequel/spin off.

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[–] dannieboy20906 8 years ago

Star Trek (TOS) did have a "sequel" or a "remake." In the third season -- the season that is generally (including by me) a major disappointment to ST fans -- episode 19 "Requiem for Methuselah," has the erstwhile command officers of the Enterprise responding to an outbreak of Rigelian Fever on their ship. Dr. McCoy finds his desperately needed element "rytalyn" on an apparently uninhabited planet. They beam down to find "Flint," a human living on the planet with his female 'ward.' He also has an incredibly capable robot. It progresses from there.

This episode is either a sequel, remake, or theft of the plot from 'Forbidden Planet,' depending on facts I do not know or your point-of-view.

The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.

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[–] grizzledgeezer 9 years ago

Hollywood has always made sequels. There are six Thin Man films, and even more Ma and Pa Kettles.

Note the broad plot similarity of Forbidden Planet to the first Star Trek pilot, The Cage.

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[–] pjmcgill142 8 years ago

The Cage borrowed from The Tempest?

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[–] tozaiminka 9 years ago

Creature From The Black Lagoon
Revenge Of The Creature
Creature Walks Among Us

The Blob
Beware The Blob

The Amazing Colossal Man
War Of The Colossal Beast

The Fly
Return Of The Fly
Curse Of The Fly

The Creeping Unknown
Enemy From Space / Quatermass II
Quatermass And The Pit

Curse Of Frankenstein
Revenge of Frankenstein

There's more, but you can get the picture.

It's just television, get over it! - David Letterman

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[–] notorious918 8 years ago

They also need a "Return of the Giant Claw", but they have to use the original monster.

I wonder what actually happened to the puppet or whatever it was that was used to film those scary scenes. Is it in a museum somewhere?



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[–] Princerd 9 years ago

Simply discover another Krell inhabited planet with the bulk of their technology intact; minus the ID producing program.

A sequel 100-200 years in the future would be a better movie than a remake.

I wonder if the "Star Gate" Ancients were possibly based on the themes of this movie.

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[–] Deluge69-663-991830 9 years ago

Your sequel idea sounds good, far better than a mere remake.

STAR GATE was known to have had a few other influences. FP could be considered one.

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Deluge69-663-991830 9 years ago

That could work.

Unfortunately, we'd end up with a forgettable "Twilight Cast".

Some felt that the so-so SPHERE was along those lines, but was more the interesting failure.

Today, I'd see Alta as a more tough and even aloof character that may be ambivalent. Not the sweet and naïve 'girl next door'.

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[–] Harold_of_Whoa 9 years ago

Today, I'd see Alta as a more tough and even aloof character that may be ambivalent. Not the sweet and naïve 'girl next door'.

With the movie as it is, who seems more naïve to you, Alta or Adams?

"Morbius, something is approaching from the southwest. It is now quite close."

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[–] Deluge69-663-991830 9 years ago

Alta is definitely more naïve in the original.

With an "updated" remake, her character might be presented in a different and even dark and sexy but sinister and seductive manner. Her naïve ways probably won't go over with today's more cynical audiences. If she is that educated and intelligent, she would certainly know something about men and women.

Perhaps she knows more about the Krell than what she lets on, and maybe she vanishes when the planet is destroyed.

Just more food for thought.

Like to bounce all possibilities.

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Deluge69-663-991830 9 years ago

Perhaps, she is not Morbious's real daughter, but something concocted in the Krell Lab, with "memories" intact. Another version of the 'ID'?

Is it possible that his wife, who died of "natural causes". was another unconscious target of the ID Monster?

Perhaps . . . .

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[–] grizzledgeezer 9 years ago

Picky point... The word is id, not Id or ID. It's Latin for "it".

ID is commonly an abbreviation for "identification", as in "Let's see your ID".

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[–] Andthatismytwocents 8 years ago

Was No StarGate a book in the fifties?

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[–] strntz 9 years ago

Simply discover another Krell inhabited planet with the bulk of their technology intact; minus the ID producing program.

I didn't get that there was an ID specific program, only that the Krell (after millions of years of higher evolution) failed to recognize that their own ID buried deep in their sub-conscience would run amuck using the Krell power to destroy.

It is bad to drink Jobus rum. Very bad.

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[–] hobnob53 9 years ago

In most films of the 50s, lost worlds or lost islands or lost continents usually blew up at the end, right after being visited by civilized man. It was basically a movie rule. Of course, here it was a deliberate act instead of a coincidental volcanic explosion or something, but the principle is the same.

I'm glad they didn't do a sequel (it couldn't possibly have been as good) and hope they never do a remake (ditto).

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[–] Princerd 9 years ago

I didn't get that there was an ID specific program, only that the Krell (after millions of years of higher evolution) failed to recognize that their own ID buried deep in their sub-conscience would run amuck using the Krell power to destroy.

The whole massive machine Morbius shows off to the crew members was created as a power supply for another central machine "programmed" or designed to allow the Krell to convert their thoughts into physical reality. The monster from the id was a result of their primitive, animalistic subconscious thoughts being released physically as a ravening animal. Morbius' mental abilities were boosted by his use of the Krell teaching tools. Thus allowing him to then unlock the machine's capabilities. Anytime he felt threatened the machine released his own monster from the id to deal with the threat.

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[–] bjlevine 9 years ago

I think that Morbius believes that if Adams leaves and reports his findings to Earth, eventually others will follow to dig up the secrets of the Krell and that it could only end badly. Absolute power corrupting, even if they could resolve the Id thing.

👷👳
Bob the Builder and Hadji walk into a bar...

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Princerd 9 years ago

Morbius always thought that man was not ready for the power of the Krell. He thought he could be a gatekeeper for the Krell technology. Morbius states that he would release parts of their knowledge and technology when he thought they were ready for it. When Morbius realized he too could not truly control its potentially destructive power, he decided to destroy it. As you said; it was going to end badly for mankind.

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[–] CovertThunder 8 years ago

True, I think that applies to a lot of science fiction, both with older films like Forbidden Planet and more recent examples like Prometheus. It doesn't matter how morally superior or intelligent someone is, if they're guarding it (like Dr. Morbius) or if they discover it like some future government or science team, some way or another the technology will end up destroying everything.

Interestingly, the only person who could realistically safeguard isn't really a person, it's Robby the Robot. He has the Three Laws of Robotics programmed into him, so he knows what would happen if humanity got a hold of such technology and the only thing he has to do is to figure out some non-lethal way to keep humanity away from the Krell Machine. If not Robby then perhaps any robot (or robots), since robots don't have ulterior motives or subconsciousness, simply their main programming.

Can't be too careful with all those weirdos running around.

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[–] hankpac 8 years ago

Although the planet and most of the Krell technology was destroyed, not all of it was gone.
They took with them Robbie. He was (although described as mere child's play) a highly sophisticated piece of machinery. Sort of like the Cyborg's arm in Terminator.
What we know about the advancement of computer chips today would allow for the concept that Robbie was used to develop many many leaps ahead in robotics.
What gave me that idea was simply that the story teller, The narrator at the beginning is the same voice as Robbie. This is similar to the narrator in the beginning of Road Warrior, or the last speaker in Thunder Dome, a narrator telling someone a story from long ago. I really embraced the thought that this is Robbie relating this event.
In the case of Forbidden Planet, This narrator could be speaking to a child in a story-telling mode, or a class room in an Introductory Robotics course, or an History 1-A or even Psycho-social course.

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