Steampunk

During the 1980s, the term "steampunk" - a sort of rival to the reigning "cyberpunk" - was coined to describe the body of contemporary literature (e.g., "Morlock Night" by Kevin Wayne Jeter, 1979) heavily inspired by the "scientific romance" of the late 19th century. Steampunk, then, is a sub-genre of science fiction, with its stories set in an alternate 19th century characterized by extraordinary scientific and technological progress.

These works take familiar Industrial Revolution (1760-1840) machinery, particularly the steam engine, triumphant symbol of mechanical might, along with innovations from the Second Industrial Revolution (1870-1914), such as widespread use of electricity and mass steel production, and subject these rudimentary technologies to hypothetical development, yielding a myriad of extraordinary devices with futuristic properties: turbine computers, revolutionary clockwork contraptions (perfect for time travel!), sophisticated aircraft, magnetic gadgets that can influence planetary orbits, lethal mechanical weapons, etc. The most common setting in the steampunk tradition is either Victorian (1837-1901) or Edwardian (1901-1910) London. When this type of story is instead set in the future, it's commonly called "retro-futuristic steampunk".

This Tag is intended to group together films visually consistent with the above-cited aesthetic, which is why it will also include adaptations of great trailblazing (pre-steampunk) classics such as "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1870) by Jules Verne and "The Time Machine" (1895) by H.G. Wells - authors who actually lived during the period now popularized by the steampunk sub-genre.