Review Detail
9.3 6 10
Overall rating
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
8.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Forbidden Planet is one of my all time favourite films. Pretty much the prototype for Star Trek and other sci-fi film/tv shows that followed decades after. I'll be honest, the original synthesizer score to me is the least memorable part of the film. After a while, the score loses its sting and more or less becomes monotonous.
Was the original score ground-breaking? Absolutely.
Was it entirely necessary to use it for every single moment throughout the film? In my opinion, no.
It sounded too showy as if the original composers were saying to the audience, 'did you hear what we did there?'. It works for some things like general foley in the overall sound mix but not as an entire musical score.
This is where Scott Crane's Spellbound edit comes to the rescue. While the synthesizers haven't been totally erased from the new sound mix, they've been appropriately dialled back as SFX to make way for the vastly superior score composed by Miklos Rozsa. Rozsa's score enhances many scenes with more dynamic and nuance. The use of the stereo re-recording conducted by Alan Wilson also greatly enhances the audio presentation of the film which allows for more spatial clarity.
The use of this score was an inspired choice and synchs up perfectly with the film. Nicely balanced within the original sound mix. There was never a moment of drowning out the dialogue, perfect!
My only criticism would be some minor things, there were a few moments where ambient room SFX was missing, some general SFX such as doors sliding open and shut, some footsteps here and there and the car/rover in motion that were absent from the sound mix. That being said, this didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the edit.
Now for my final word. In my opinion, this is THE superior version of Forbidden Planet and my go-to copy for future viewing from now on.
Excellent work, Scott Crane!
Take a bow.
Was the original score ground-breaking? Absolutely.
Was it entirely necessary to use it for every single moment throughout the film? In my opinion, no.
It sounded too showy as if the original composers were saying to the audience, 'did you hear what we did there?'. It works for some things like general foley in the overall sound mix but not as an entire musical score.
This is where Scott Crane's Spellbound edit comes to the rescue. While the synthesizers haven't been totally erased from the new sound mix, they've been appropriately dialled back as SFX to make way for the vastly superior score composed by Miklos Rozsa. Rozsa's score enhances many scenes with more dynamic and nuance. The use of the stereo re-recording conducted by Alan Wilson also greatly enhances the audio presentation of the film which allows for more spatial clarity.
The use of this score was an inspired choice and synchs up perfectly with the film. Nicely balanced within the original sound mix. There was never a moment of drowning out the dialogue, perfect!
My only criticism would be some minor things, there were a few moments where ambient room SFX was missing, some general SFX such as doors sliding open and shut, some footsteps here and there and the car/rover in motion that were absent from the sound mix. That being said, this didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the edit.
Now for my final word. In my opinion, this is THE superior version of Forbidden Planet and my go-to copy for future viewing from now on.
Excellent work, Scott Crane!
Take a bow.
User Review
Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
T