Steampunk dilemma.

EVERYTHING else besides fedoras.

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Cousi
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by Cousi » Wed Aug 15, 2018 3:42 pm

I like the attitude of Steampunk/Dieselpunk. Meaning, the "I like this and it's cool if you do or don't, just let me enjoy it" feel that I get from most that crowd that I've met. I don't think Steampunk or Dieselpunk will ever die, it may fall out of vogue and not get the attention it has but there will always be those who enjoy it.

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The Oracle
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by The Oracle » Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:41 pm

Dieselpunk will continue to be a theme. It is used in games and movies even when it is not realized. When I think of movies like The Rocketeer and Sky Captain, I believe the reason they were not successful was simple timing. I think Steampunk will go in and out of popularity, but certainly not go away.

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AeroDillo MkII
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by AeroDillo MkII » Wed Aug 15, 2018 11:27 pm

The Oracle wrote:
Wed Aug 15, 2018 10:41 pm
Dieselpunk will continue to be a theme. It is used in games and movies even when it is not realized. When I think of movies like The Rocketeer and Sky Captain, I believe the reason they were not successful was simple timing. I think Steampunk will go in and out of popularity, but certainly not go away.
Sky Captain had a couple of strikes against it. One of those movies with almost no end of potential that ended up cutting itself off at the knees mostly, I suspect, because the production was too caught up with the novelty of its magical green screen and participants who nailed the pulp look but missed the underpinnings need to carry the story. Lay that on top of Jude Law's marginal ability to play an action lead, the urge to strangle the leading actress, and the weird shoehorning of Angelina Jolie into the middle portion and the the whole thing's out of the gate with a handicap.

Put it this way - take the concept and give it to Spielberg and Lucas/ILM in the mid-to-late '80s...you're looking at a license to print money.

My buck-fifty's worth of opinion, anyway.

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The Oracle
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by The Oracle » Wed Aug 15, 2018 11:46 pm

Dillo,

I believe that to be a spot on assessment.

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Cousi
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by Cousi » Thu Aug 16, 2018 3:58 pm

Sky Captain had a wealth of issues, all them related to the writing. Polly's existence as a 'romantic interest' was completely unbelievable, even more so when they introduced Frankie. If I were Sky Captain, Polly would've never left NYC and if she 'stowed away' on my suddenly two-seater plane, I'd have shot her. I'm a firm believer in willful suspension of disbelief but give me a reason, dammit!

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AeroDillo MkII
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by AeroDillo MkII » Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:08 am

At the risk of opening a larger and infinitely messier can of worms I think this also applies to the last Star Wars movie. All the parts were there, and the mechanics, and the visual horsepower. Of all the entries in the series it's probably one of the cleanest and most vibrant as far as visuals were concerned. The ultimate downfall in this instance was giving the reins to people who didn't grasp the material (not unlike Sky Captain).

What you wind up with is a show with a whole seabag of magic tricks but not an ounce of wonder.

By contrast, the production team behind The Rocketeer got it. They knew what they were doing, knew what they wanted, and when they got the ball they ran. Which is one reason why their movie has a timeless quality - it was lovingly put together by people who understood and respected not just the tropes, not just the show at hand, but its place in an extant lineage of classic pulp. The Rocketeer has a greatness that runs bone-deep. You see it in every aspect of the final product and you come away knowing the producers cared about their product.

Sky Captain...you get the idea they cared about their CGI capabilities. A lot. Is it a visual spectacle? Sure. Does it endure? As a piece of pop-art, maybe. As a milestone in the history of special effects, sure, why not.

As a complete, well-rounded movie with distinct characters, a memorable storyline, and a natural sense of urgency?

...nah.

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Cousi
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by Cousi » Sat Aug 18, 2018 3:40 am

I'm actually cautiously optimistic about this one for a true Steampunk movie:
Mortal Engines

I apologize for the link, I've forgotten how to embed the video in phpBB. I'll remember eventually.

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Herb Roflcopter
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by Herb Roflcopter » Sat Aug 18, 2018 6:59 pm

AeroDillo MkII wrote:
Wed Aug 15, 2018 11:27 pm

Sky Captain had a couple of strikes against it. One of those movies with almost no end of potential that ended up cutting itself off at the knees mostly, I suspect, because the production was too caught up with the novelty of its magical green screen and participants who nailed the pulp look but missed the underpinnings need to carry the story. Lay that on top of Jude Law's marginal ability to play an action lead, the urge to strangle the leading actress, and the weird shoehorning of Angelina Jolie into the middle portion and the the whole thing's out of the gate with a handicap.
I can agree with these points, although I'm willing to let them slide if it were not for the fact that the movie technicaly has no villain. An army of mindless robots led by another robot just following orders of a madman who's been dead for years does not an effective villain make.

They just threw Laurence Olivier in there because Jude Law wanted to play a scene with him. They could have possibly pulled this off had they done the movie now in 2018, using Olivier's likeness to create an actual digital character, but not back then.

Picture Raiders of the Lost Ark with only Hovitos and Nazis, and no Belloq whatsoever. I guarantee you Spielberg and Lucas would be eating out of garbage cans had they done that.

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The Oracle
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Re: Steampunk dilemma.

Post by The Oracle » Thu Aug 23, 2018 12:21 am

Herb,

You make a good point about Sky Captain and IJ. Without a common element, a puppet master, giving orders the villain is an empty shell.

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