The Top Five Steampunk Movies of All Time... well so far!

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With the much anticipated new Guillermo del Toro movie Crimson Peak – described as Gothic Romance, Supernatural Horror, Steampunk – scheduled for release in just under a month on 18th October, I've been conducting research into the most popular Steampunk movies to have been released to-date. 

I conducted my research among online Steampunk forums and, taking into consideration the fact everyone has their own different take on what Steampunk is – or is not – I invited people to nominate their own favourite Steampunk movies, using whatever criteria they saw fit. The result was a long-list of over 70 movie titles, ranging from obscure Japanese animé through to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Wallace & Gromit, with plenty of genre crossovers, mashups and overlaps between Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dieselpunk and what might be termed straight Steampunk. 

Most of the movies nominated picked up only one or two votes but there were five that stood out from the rest of the field. So here they are, in reverse order, the Top Five Movies of All Time – or at least up to and including September 2015... 

No. #5 Steamboy (Japan, Release Date: 2004 - Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating: 60%) At the time this was one of the most expensive animated movies ever made in Japan however a fudged international readership meant it never reached the global audience that might have appreciated it.

No. #4 Wild Wild West (United States, Release Date: 1999 - Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating: 17%) This is a movie people either love or hate. Despite a high profile cast and the fact it was riding on the coat-tails of a popular TV series, the movie flopped – the consensus being too much money went on lavish SFX and not enough on the script – or the humour it was meant to contain.

No. #3 The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (France, Release Date: 2010 - Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating: 83%) My personal favourite, it is based on a long-running French comic book series by Jacques Tardi and directed by Luc Besson. Another movie that never enjoyed the international success it deserved but thanks to DvD earning a cult following.

No. #2 Hellboy II: The Golden Army (United States, Release Date: 2008 - Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating: 85%). Good cast, good storyline, plenty of action and, thanks to director Guillermo del Toro, just the right amount of weird to intrigue the viewer. That said, it is a controversial choice for although it had plenty of fans (hence its high ranking) it was one of the few movies that had people saying "No, this is NOT steampunk – it's just a diesel-punk meets fantasy meets sci-fi mashup with cogs."

No. #1 Hugo (US/UK/France, Release Date: 2011 - Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating 94%). Excellent cast, including child/juvenile actors who don't irritate and can actually act). Directed by Martin Scorsese and containing a plot and characterisation that intrigues, amuses, has drama, has comedy and a happy ending. The high rating says it all.