Why don't more movies use steampunk?

[GrimTuesday]

I love steampunk, I think it is a cool idea for how a world could be built, not to mention the fashion is pretty slick. With the massive number of movies that have tried to pull off dark and gritty over the last few years, one would think that they would try something that would set them apart while still keeping the gritty "realism" that they are trying to convey. I think that Steampunk is perfect for this task. For one thing, something that steampunk is rather famous for is taking place in a distopain world, normally run by industrialists and other businessmen who exploit the normal everyday person. That just seems like the perfect setting to make a movie that not only keeps with the gritty "realism" that audiences seem to react positively to, but also allows for the film makers to make a comment on society, and the nature of humanity, not to mention it would set the movie apart stylistically speaking from any other movie using the gritty "realism" idea.

So why do you think steampunk isn't used very much? and do you think it should be used more?

 

[lovestomooch]

Steampunk doesn't really rate well with most written works of fiction or history and so most story writers find it hard to include it. Was Fifth Element steampunk? I'm going to assume it was and say that if a lot of sci fi fantasy directors had an ounce of what Luc Besson had we would see a whole lot more of it (I'm looking at YOU Michael Bay).

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

The reason it's not used very much is because some people don't understand it (So box office numbers go down) and "it's not real".
Should it be used more? Certainly...there's some astonishingly good novels that are Steampunk - but people get caught up on making Steampunk replicas of real world items. Bioshock does this terribly with it's steam powered sentry guns (impossible) or steam powered vending machines.

Embracing Steampunk is like embracing Cyberpunk, you have to understand that it's automatically a different world with different values. And not just make steam powered Ipods.

 

[Valthek]

Well, Steampunk was actually used in a recent (and relatively popular movie)
One of the dream segments of Suckerpunch had steam-animated germans (or something along those lines)

Sure, it wasn't all steampunk, but the influence was there. I think the reason not many people use it is because it's a relatively unknown sort of setting. Many people can imagine a robot or a wizard, but a steam-powered robot is a little trickier.

 

[MegatonDesign]

What you described sounds exactly like "the City of Lost Children". If you havent seen it, I really recommend it; it has a distinctive steam punk style wrapped up in a moving, truly brilliant narrative.

 

[Tallim]

Steampunk technology is used in loads of movies it just doesn't get shoved down your throat. The Neo-Victorian aesthetic doesn't get much screen time however. But it is out there in a number of places.

I actually loved it in Franklyn, shame it's a pretty big case of "trailers always lie". Most of the movie is set in dingy london coffee shops and housing. Only a tiny part is set in the other world.
Still a reasonable movie however.

 

[Not-here-anymore]

Was Fifth Element steampunk?

Um... no. Distinct lack of steam.
The point of steampunk is to show off a series of anachronistic inventions powered by steam and clockwork.
Steam powered computer? Steampunk.
Steam powered calculator watch? Steampunk
Gary Oldman paving the way for a dark creature whilst he wears a dog cone over his hair? Not steampunk.

 

[Mathak]

Golden Compass was pretty steampunk. We're certainly not getting a sequel to that any time soon though ( killing God might not be well received, I suspect).