Forbidden Planet

Film evenings begin with optional potluck refreshments and social hour at 6:30 pm,
followed by the film at 7:30 pm, followed by a discussion after the film.

FORBIDDEN PLANET
by Fred M. Wilcox

Fifty years after its theatrical release, this amazing film still ranks as one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made Not until Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey" was another science fiction film to approach its intelligence and depth and take such a thought-provoking approach to the human condition.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s "The Tempest," "Forbidden Planet" is the story of an intrepid crew from the “United Planets” sent to investigate the fate of the Bellerophon, a ship that landed on the fourth planet of the star Altair twenty years before. They find the only survivors, the scientist Morbius and his beautiful daughter Altaira. In an eden-like setting, the scientist has been uncovering the remains and the secrets of a once-great society, the Krell, who flourished on the planet eons in the past. Morbius explains that the Bellerophon settlers were hideously murdered by a unseen monster. Only he and his family remained unaffected, and the ship itself was vaporized as the last settlers attempted to escape. He spent two decades exploring the vast spaces of the Krell’s mysterious underground power plant, and boosting his lowly human IQ to half the level of the Krells.

"Forbidden Planet" is the first film in which humans are depicted traveling in a flying saucer of their own construction. And it ‘s the first science fiction film set on an alien world in deep space, far away from the Earth and its solar system. This film hallmarks the first film appearance of Robby the Robot, probably one of the most popular, recognizable, and enduring icons in science fiction film history. Robbie is one of the first movie robots with a genuine personality — he is more than just a tin can.

Wheelchair accessible around the corner at 411 28th Street

$5 donations are accepted