The top 20 steampunk movies and shows of all time, ranked
If you are a fan of sci-fi films and TV shows, the probability is high that you are familiar with the steampunk genre. The sci-fi subgenre incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired mainly by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. But what makes this subgenre popular? And which are the best steampunk movies ever?
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Steampunk movies of all time
- 1. The Prestige (2006)
- 2. Metropolis (1927)
- 3. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
- 4. Brazil (1985)
- 5. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
- 6. Stardust (2007)
- 7. The City of Lost Children (1995)
- 8. Hugo (2011)
- 9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
- 10. Treasure Planet (2002)
- 11. April and the Extraordinary World (2015)
- 12. The Great Race (1965)
- 13. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
- 14. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- 15. Hellboy (2004)
- 16. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
- 17. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
- 18. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
- 19. John Carter (2012)
- 20. Sucker Punch (2011)
- What makes a movie steampunk?
- What is the concept of steampunk?
- Are there any steampunk movies on Netflix?
- Why is steampunk popular?
When compiling this list of the top steampunk movies and shows of all time, we used data from movie review websites like IMDb and fan ranking platforms like Ranker. The ranking is subjective and arranged based on user ratings and popularity.
Steampunk movies of all time
The steampunk genre has generated a lot of interest from fans worldwide. The genre's concept comprising steam-powered futuristic technology in the Victorian era or the Wild West period has made it a fan favourite, generating a cult following worldwide. These are some of the best steampunk movies and shows ever, ranked.
| Film/TV show | IMDb rating |
| The Prestige (2006) | 8.5/10 |
| Metropolis (1927) | 8.3/10 |
| Howl's Moving Castle (2004) | 8.2/10 |
| Brazil (1985) | 7.9/10 |
| Sherlock Holmes (2009) | 7.6/10 |
| Stardust (2007) | 7.6/10 |
| The City of Lost Children (1995) | 7.5/10 |
| Hugo (2011) | 7.5/10 |
| Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) | 7.4/10 |
| Treasure Planet (2002) | 7.2/10 |
| April and the Extraordinary World (2015) | 7.2/10 |
| The Great Race (1965) | 7.2/10 |
| Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) | 7.0/10 |
| Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) | 6.9/10 |
| Hellboy (2004) | 6.8/10 |
| Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) | 6.8/10 |
| Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018) | 6.7/10 |
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) | 6.7/10 |
| John Carter (2012) | 6.6/10 |
| Sucker Punch (2011) | 6.1/10 |
1. The Prestige (2006)
- IMDb rating: 8.5/10
- Directed by: Christopher Nolan
- Release date: 17 October 2006
- Running time: 130 minutes
The Prestige is a 2006 psychological thriller film based on the same name 1995 novel by Christopher Priest. The film is about two rival magicians obsessed with their rival's best trick. They end up going to unimaginable lengths to sabotage each other.
2. Metropolis (1927)
- IMDb rating: 8.3/10
- Directed by: Fritz Lang
- Release date: 10 January 1927
- Running time: 153 minutes
Metropolis (1927) is a German expressionist science-fiction silent film set in a futuristic urban dystopia named Metropolis. The film is about Freder, the wealthy son of the city master, and Maria, a saintly figure to the workers, who team up to attempt to overcome a class system in their city.
3. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
- IMDb rating: 8.2/10
- Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
- Release date: 5 September 2004
- Running time: 119 minutes
Howl's Moving Castle is among the best steampunk movies ever. It tells the story of Sophie, a young hatmaker who is turned into an older woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. In her pursuit to reverse the curse, she encounters a wizard named Howl and his moving castle.
4. Brazil (1985)
- IMDb rating: 7.9/10
- Directed by: Terry Gilliam
- Release date: 20 February 1985 (France)
- Running time: 142 minutes
Brazil is a science-fiction dystopian black comedy film about a bureaucrat in a dystopic society. Sam Lowry, a low-ranking bureaucrat, becomes an enemy of the state as he pursues the woman of his dreams. The film happens in a dystopian world with an over-reliance on poorly maintained, whimsical machines.
5. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
- IMDb rating: 7.6/10
- Directed by: Guy Ritchie
- Release date: 25 December 2009 (United States)
- Running time: 129 minutes
Sherlock Holmes is a period mystery action film set in 1890 starring Robert Downey Jr. The movie follows unorthodox detective Holmes and his counterpart, Watson, trying to thwart a mysticist's plot to gain control of Britain using ethereal methods.
6. Stardust (2007)
- IMDb rating: 7.6/10
- Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
- Release date: 29 July 2007 (Paramount Studio Theatre)
- Running time: 128 minutes
Stardust is a romantic fantasy adventure film co-written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. It is about a young man, Tristan, who promises his darling that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into a magical realm.
7. The City of Lost Children (1995)
- IMDb rating: 7.5/10
- Directed by: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
- Release date: May 1995
- Running time: 112 minutes
The City of Lost Children is a science-fiction dark fantasy movie. It centres around a mad scientist known as Frank and his evil goons who abduct children to an offshore lab where Franks plans to steal their dreams.
8. Hugo (2011)
- IMDb rating: 7.5/10
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
- Release date: 10 October 2011
- Running time: 126 minutes
Hugo is a 2011 American adventure drama film based on Brian Selznick's 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The film is about an orphan boy who lives alone in the Gare Montparnasse railway station in the 1930s. His pursuit of fixing his late father's automaton leads him on an adventure.
9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
- IMDb rating: 7.4/10
- Directed by: Guy Ritchie
- Release date: 16 December 2011
- Running time: 129 minutes
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows follows Sherlock and Watson in their adventure across Europe with a Romani fortune-teller. Their mission is to attempt to foil an intricate plot by the cunning Professor Moriarty, who intends to instigate a major European conflict.
10. Treasure Planet (2002)
- IMDb rating: 7.2/10
- Directed by: John Musker, Ron Clements
- Release date: 6 November 2002
- Running time: 95 minutes
Treasure Planet is an American animated science fiction film adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island (1883). The film follows teenager Jim Hawkin, who receives a map of an incredible Treasure Planet from a dying pirate. He then embarks on an adventure across the universe to find it.
11. April and the Extraordinary World (2015)
- IMDb rating: 7.2/10
- Directed by: Christian Desmares, Franck Ekinci
- Release date: 15 June 2015
- Running time: 106 minutes
April and the Extraordinary World follows a young girl named Avril, or April, searching for her missing scientist parents. April begins her adventure with her talking cat, Darwin, and a young street rascal, Julius.
12. The Great Race (1965)
- IMDb rating: 7.2/10
- Directed by: Blake Edwards
- Release date: 1 July 1965
- Running time: 160 minutes
The Great Race is a 1965 American Technicolor epic slapstick comedy film. It chronicles a mythical 1903 New York to Paris road race. The movie featured imaginative and retro-looking automobiles, including Professor Fate's formidable Hannibal 8.
13. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
- IMDb rating: 7.0/10
- Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
- Release date: 11 July 2008
- Running time: 120 minutes
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an American superhero film based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name. In the film, Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense must battle a mythical prince who plans to reclaim the world for his magical kindred.
14. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
- IMDb rating: 6.9/10
- Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
- Release date: 3 June 2001
- Running time: 96 minutes
Atlantis: The Lost Empire is an American animated science fiction action-adventure film. The film is set in 1914 and tells the story of young linguist Milo Thatch, who gains possession of a sacred book. He believes the book will guide him and a crew of mercenaries to the lost city of Atlantis.
15. Hellboy (2004)
- IMDb rating: 6.8/10
- Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
- Release date: 30 March 2004 (Mann Village Theater)
- Running time: 122 minutes
Hellboy (2004) is about a charismatic demon-turned-investigator named "Hellboy". He works with the secretive Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense to suppress paranormal threats. However, a resurrected sorcerer seeks to make Hellboy fulfil his destiny by triggering the apocalypse.
16. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
- IMDb rating: 6.8/10
- Directed by: Brad Silberling
- Release date: 17 December 2004
- Running time: 103 minutes
If you are looking for the best steampunk characters in movies, then Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events offers the best option. It stars Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, a cousin of three orphans whose parents perish in a fire. He secretly plots to steal their parents' fortune.
17. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)
- IMDb rating: 6.7/10
- Directed by: Sam Liu
- Release date: 12 January 2018
- Running time: 78 minutes
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is a 2018 American animated superhero film. It follows Batman in an alternative Victorian Age Gotham City, where he investigates a series of murders by Jack the Ripper.
18. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
- IMDb rating: 6.7/10
- Directed by: Tim Burton
- Release date: 25 September 2016
- Running time: 127 minutes
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children tells the story of Jacob, who discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times. He finds a magical place, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, where danger deepens as he learns more about the residents.
19. John Carter (2012)
- IMDb rating: 6.6/10
- Directed by: Andrew Stanton
- Release date: 22 February 2012 (Los Angeles)
- Running time: 132 minutes
John Carter, a 2012 American science fiction action-adventure film. It chronicles the first interplanetary adventure of John Carter, a former American Civil War Confederate Army captain. He attempts to mediate civil unrest amongst the warring kingdoms of Barsoom.
20. Sucker Punch (2011)
- IMDb rating: 6.1/10
- Directed by: Zack Snyder
- Release date: 25 March 2011
- Running time: 109 minutes
Sucker Punch is an American psychological fantasy action film. It is about Babydoll (Emily Browning), a young woman sent to a mental institution by her abusive stepfather. Babydoll enters a series of fantasy worlds where she and her friends collect items needed for her escape.
What makes a movie steampunk?
A movie becomes steampunk if it incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics influenced by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.
What is the concept of steampunk?
The concept of steampunk revolves around fantasy movies or TV shows inspired by Victorian-era industrialism that features technology powered by steam.
Are there any steampunk movies on Netflix?
Yes, there are films in the steampunk genre on Netflix. Notable flicks include:
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
- Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Why is steampunk popular?
The genre is popular due to its limitless imagination and creativity. Steampunk produces a vivid image for viewers of places that seem familiar but are not.
Above are the top steampunk movies and shows of all time ranked based on viewer ratings. They include iconic films like Howl's Moving Castle (2004), The Prestige (2006), Treasure Planet (2002) and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), among others.
Yen.com.gh recently published about the best movies to watch with your boyfriend during date night. Many movies are ideal for your boyfriend, From romantic comedies to thrilling action movies to thought-provoking documentaries.
Date night is a special occasion for couples to spend quality time. One way to enjoy it is through watching films. But if hosting your boyfriend, which are some ideal films for him to make a date more entertaining?
Source: YEN.com.gh
