*SPOILERS AHEAD*
Although Doc is an officer, he is also the intellectual of the group (Morbius makes a point of singling him out as somebody with whom he wishes to have further conversations). And his actions differ from those of Adams and Farman. When Altaira shows an interest in the three men (having known only her father all her life), Doc blushes at her compliment. After that, he never makes any advances towards her. Adams and Farman, on the other hand, act like horny adolescents vying for her affections. It is their strutting and territorial fighting over Altaira that most resembles the primitive emotions which are revealed to be the true problem. In the end, it's Doc who sacrifices himself to find a solution (the sacrifice itself involves artificially enhancing his intelligence — they have to think, not shoot, their way to a solution). Although Adams comes through during the climax, he does it with the information that Doc not only provided for him, but had to explain to him. Ultimately, it is the intellectual, not the soldier, who saves the day.
Morbius is the other intellectual in the film. He is a man of science, an entomologist who has spent decades studying another civilization. He delights in discovery and investigation. Although it turns out that the monster is a manifestation of his darkest impulses, Morbius himself is unaware that he is creating it. In fact, the film makes a point that those impulses exist in all of us. So Morbius can be viewed as more of a tragic figure than a real villain.
Unlike many SF movies, Forbidden Planet doesn't blame science or technology for what destroyed the Krell and threatens to destroy the crew of Cruiser C57D. The film faults Mobirus's jealousy and Adams's lechery. It's our most primitive urges — both sexual and violent-- that cause technology to be misused and therefore are most at fault.
The Production
-- Because MGM was willing to spend the money, the production values of Forbidden Planet are high. Thought, effort, and talent obviously went into the special effects, sets, props, and costumes. And even though paintings are used for the backdrops, they, too, are very effective. Stark, ragged peaks dot the landscape, managing to look Earth-like and alien at the same time.
Article comments
1 - HW Saxton Jr.
"There's nothing to do on this lousy
planet but sit around and shoot at beer
cans and we don't even have any beer
cans"... Deeeee Gawd,I love this movie.
Existential as all great giveafuck.
The Bebe & Louis Barron soundtrack is
also great.Waaaaaaaaaaay ahead of it's
time.It's actually much more interesting
listening isolated from the dialogue and
the film itself. Great review.
2 - Jim Carruthers
Since SF books were and are a ghetto (aside from "franchise" effects) saying "Forbidden Planet" wasn't a breakout is somewhat suspect.
Also, the movie, (like the other genre movie of the time "West Side Story") is only a retelling of "The Tempest" by Billy Shakespeare.
And who knew Leslie Nielsen could be so funny?
3 - Luiz Henriques Neto
About the problems you pointed in the movie, I´d like to remark that the cook, although technically superfluous, incarnates the baser desires that brought the krell´s downfall: he starts to corrupt the "natural state" of the planet asking Robby the robot for booze. Maybe it´s not coincidence that he is a cook: food is one of the animal necessities that ignite the baser desires. The other is sex, brought into the planet by the high-ranked officers (the upper classes?), who need not to scape reality in alcohol: they can aim for princesses. And that brings another of your problems into focus.
Certainly in the 50´s women were not thought of as military in the future, but even if the writer had imagined that, female presence in the ship would diminish the sexual tension about Altaira. We can even beg the screenwriter thinking that the armed forces wouldn´t be willing to lock couples in the hyperspace for 10 months.