SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
GetPapa
Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
BA_Harrison
From legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman, Forbidden World is a cheap, cheesy and sleazy Alien rip-off that makes up for its low production values by chucking in as much gloopy gore and female nudity as possible.The film opens with intergalactic trouble-shooter Mike (Jesse Vint) being woken from cryogenic sleep by his loyal robot SAM-104 (who looks like a bargain basement stormtrooper) to help defend against an enemy attack; after a terrible space dog-fight that makes use of footage from Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), a victorious Mike receives orders to visit the planet Xarbia, where there has been an accident in a high security laboratory.On arrival, Mike is told that the result of a genetic experiment is on the loose, the creature continuously mutating as it grows. The bigger it gets, the meaner and more ravenous it becomes, with humans on the menu.The directorial debut of film editor Allan Holzman, Forbidden World is tacky and tasteless trash that doesn't have any pretensions: it's aim is to please its target audience of B-movie fans, and that it most certainly does. Once Mike has set foot on Xarbia, its non-stop gooey effects and gratuitous T&A from the lab's two female scientists (played by June Chadwick and Dawn Dunlap), both of whom have rocking bodies and absolutely no qualms about getting naked.After a whole load of messy gore (the victims slowly turning into a mushy mess), some nookie, and the welcome sight of Chadwick and Dunlap in the shower together, the film ends in splattery style with Mike having to remove a cancerous tumour from a fully conscious man without anaesthetic in order to feed the growth to the monster. Now that, my friend, is entertainment!7.5 out of 10, rounded down to 7 for Holzman's occasional use of rapid-fire editing, which made my eyes and brain hurt.
Sam Panico
Director Allan Holzman (Emmy winning director/editor of Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Holocaust) wanted a chance to direct, so he took to the sets of Galaxy, using equipment that still had a rental day left and filmed a seven-minute test footage sequence that not only convinced Corman to give him a chance, but became the opening of this film. According to the book that comes with the Shout Factory release of the film, Holzman shot 94 camera set-ups in one day to achieve the frenetic editing style of this sequence.In the Wikipedia setup for this film, they report that this film was panned by critics as a "cheap, exploitive imitation Alien with sex, nudity, uneven editing, cheap special effects and an audio track that some found unpleasant." This sounds like a beacon for me screaming, "SEE THIS FILM NOW." I wouldn't say the music is bad…it's just a strange bit of electronic music that often feels like it doesn't fit the film. And as for the choppy editing style, it's as is this whole film as a battle between two movies. One, an art film packed with intriguing shots, quick cuts and oddly placed humor. Another a sleazy monster movie featuring plenty of sex scenes, women showering together and a toothy Giger-esque little buddy killing scientists.Read more at bandsaboutmovies.com/2017/06/30/forbidden-world-1982/
gavin6942
In the distant future, a federation marshal arrives at a research lab on a remote planet where a genetic experiment has gotten lose and begins feeding on the dwindling scientific group.So, what do you get when you have an "Alien" ripoff written by Jim Wynorski, produced by Roger Corman, and with effects from John Carl Buechler? If you expected excessive boobs from Wynorski, you would be right. And if you expected a low budget from Corman, you would be right. A great monster from Buechler? Sure thing! Seriously, this is not a bad movie. Is an A-level science fiction film? Maybe not. It should not be thought on on the same level as "Alien". But that is not the point, if you know what you are getting yourself into when you sit down for a Corman flick. It is is gonna be fun, cheesy and entertaining -- just like movies should be.
Rob van Opzeeland
Allan Holzman takes us on an unnecessary but highly enjoyable roller-coaster ride in this epically bad film. Everything about it screams B-movie, from the terrible acting of the male actors, the gratuitous full frontal nudity of the actresses, the jumpy and improbable plot, the cheesy lines. Movies like this are like a tasty cheeseburger in a cheap fast food restaurant. It's unhealthy, and disgustingly greasy, but after finishing it you feel a satisfied customer, and the next time you're in the neighbourhood you might just drop in for more. Yes, it's an Alien rip-off. Small crew, isolated base on a distant planet, and a monster that is made for killing and feeding only. And yes, they stole that robot design directly from Star Wars' stormtroopers. Are those reasons to dislike "Forbidden World"? Far from it. It steals shamelessly, and if anything the obviously stolen ideas make this movie even more fun to watch. I would have hated it if they tried to hide the fact this is a blatant rip-off. How could you not like a movie in which the monster is frequently called a "dingwhopper", and which packs these fantastic lines: Barbara : "I hear you're the best troubleshooter in the federation. Want to ehm.. see some trouble?"Barbara: "If it is intelligent, have you tried communicating with it?" Mike: "That's about the stupidest damn idea I heard all day"Dr. Timbergen: "Let's see how my wildly mutating cells get along with yours.""Forbidden World" makes no effort to be classy, it just shoves all the goodies in your face, and says "feast on this." So I did, and it was worth every second.
