If you’re anything like me, you’ve been watching more TV than ever over the last couple of years. Also, if you’re asking the question, what are the best steampunk movies on YouTube? You’re also like me in that you’ve found the amazing world of steampunk and cannot get enough. So we’ve pulled together a list of the best steampunk movies available on YouTube for you – we hope you enjoy them all as much as we do.
It’s always great to support independent steampunk movie producers. Especially as steampunk is a genre that is underrepresented in mainstream cinema. YouTube can be the perfect place to find these movies.
Before we get into the best steampunk movies on YouTube, let’s have a look at what makes elements we can expect to see in a steampunk movie. We can then add vampires to this to find the best steampunk movies on YouTube.
So What Makes a Steampunk Movie?
As discussed above, there are a number of elements that need to be seen in order to classify a movie as being steampunk.
If you want to know more on this, check out our ultimate guide as to what makes a movie steampunk.
Whether something fits into the steampunk movie genre or not is a topic which is always up for hot debate in the fan forums.
However, as steampunk is an alternative reality and sadly never existed, there is no history to check the validity against.
That being said, there is some faux pas some directors make that mean that a movie was clearly never intended to be steampunk.
Check out this article if you’re asking the question, what is steampunk anyway?
Things such as this we would class as being ‘steampunk inspired’, i.e. they don’t traditionally conform to the steampunk genre, but they have taken elements from it to inspire them.
As a quick recap, we’ve lined up our top 10 elements to look out for in a steampunk movie.
Top 10 Things to Look Out for In a Steampunk Movie
- The Use of Steam – In steampunk, electricity has never been invented, everything is mechanical and powered by steam. This means that if you can see digital machinery in a movie, it isn’t traditional steampunk, therefore it may be classified as ‘steampunk inspires’
- Steam Powered Vehicles – In steampunk movies, as with the above, you will only see vehicles powered by steam, cars, ships, and even submarines.
- Airships – Airships are popular within the steampunk genre – again, mechanically powered.
- Set In Victorian Era or an Alternative History – Steampunk is set in either the Victorian Era [19th Century] or in an alternative, future, occasionally depicted as a ‘wild west’ setting.
- The Clothing – Clothing can vary, but is normally focused around the fashions of Victorian England, or that of a colonial explorer.
- Augmented Mechanical Humans – In steampunk, persons can normally be seen with mechanically replaced elements to their body, sometimes these are full replacements, other times, a mechanical exoskeleton.
- Gadgets & Gears – futuristic [mechanical] gadgets are common place in the steampunk genre. A personal favorite is a gun that mechanically springs from up a sleeve to the user’s hand, ready and poised for use. Gears can be seen throughout the steampunk genre, emphasizing the mechanical theme that is central to the aesthetic.
- Time Travel – Time travel is not an essential component of steampunk, however, it can be seen in some steampunk works. Just remember that the time travel device needs to be mechanical and not digital/ electronic.
- The Paranormal – The paranormal is not traditional steampunk, however, the crossover between the genres is common. The villain in steampunk is normally a man made creation as opposed to being a mythical creature, demon, vampire, etc. As this is very relevant to this discussion, we will discuss this further below.
- Advanced Technology – Technology that is advanced for its time is a standard theme throughout steampunk. The technology must be mechanical in nature, such as the analog computer.
There you have a list of the key elements to identify a steampunk movies, but let’s have a look at the best setampunk movies available on YouTube.
Here we will include steampunk and steampunk inspired movies.
List of the Best Steampunk Movies on YouTube
Here is our list of what we think are the best independent steampunk movies that are available on YouTube.
Just a quick note that all of these movies were available on YouTube at the time of writing, obviously it content is constantly being released and removed.
So let’s get into it.
Top Steampunk Movies on YouTube
Nemo Steampunk Movie
“Nemo” is a french Steampunk movie inspired by Jules Vernes stories. The movie takes place in an alternative world of the 19th and 20th century.
Airlords of Airia
Airlords of Airia is a steampunk sci-fi short film, definitely worth a watch!
The Developer
The short is based on “The Developer” graphic novel by Robert Odegnal.
Steampunk Samurai Biker Chicks
Set in 2165, a post-apocalyptic San Francisco is on fire as soldiers battle invaders and looters drain the city of its life-sustaining fuel and water.
Flourtown
Highly stylized Steam Punk short film trailer for “Flourtown” with creative widgets and machines! By Bill Slichter of Wind Powered Pictures
Aether: The Rise of Specter
This is a proof of concept film for the steampunk inspired, science fiction film Aether: The Rise of Specter.
Aurora
Aurora is a steampunk short film that won the Comic Con International Independent Film Festival 2013.
The amazing thing about steampunk movies on YouTube is that they are normally created by true fans of the genre, so stay close to what we would consider ‘traditional steampunk‘.
What’s more is that they are normally fairly short, due to production costs, so you can watch several in one sitting.
Do you have a favorite steampunk movie available on YouTube which we haven’t covered? Have you made your own steampunk movie that you would like to share with the community?
Let us know in the comments below and we will consider including it when we next update this list.
