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Posted by jrrl on June 30, 2011.
Steampunk Musketeers: A Bad Thing?
The good news is that there is another movie this summer with steampunk elements! The bad news is, well, take a look, starting about 48 seconds in:
Yes, that is an airship battle, and it even looks somewhat cool. Heck, the adventure of Alexander Dumas with the coolness of steampunk sounds like its made of win, right?
Not necessarily. My problem is not with the steampunkification of Dumas, so much as it looks like there was inadequate thought put into it.
The Three Musketeers ends with the Siege of La Rochelle in 1628. Manned flight by hot air balloons was not a reality in Europe until the 1780s and even then it was very primitive.
Anachronistic technology is part-and-parcel with steampunk, but usually it is the result of accelerated technological development, not just dumped in out of the blue. If this technology existed 150 years ahead of time, other advances would have to have occurred as well, and technological advances change society. Yet, the society in the film seems to be the 1620s except for the airships.
This may seem like nitpicking, and maybe it is, but there is no reason for steampunk to be sloppy and it does the genre a disservice to be so. Of course, science fiction regularly suffers such indignities; for example see 2010′s Skyline. (Actually, don’t see it. It was that bad.) I don’t really find that comforting. First, science fiction has a long enough tradition that people can point to good science fiction films (and of course books) as counterexamples. Second, in many people’s minds, science fiction is a literary (and by extension cinematic) ghetto. Personally, I believe their opinions are wrong and likely ill-informed, but that doesn’t change the fact of their existence. Nor does it change the fact that such opinions have limited science fiction’s reach into the population’s reading habits. I would hate to see a similar thing happen to steampunk, however likely it may be.
In the end, of course, I am being pedantic and somewhat curmudgeonly, both perhaps a result of my New England upbringing. The film will likely be very fun to watch and may even serve to raise awareness of steampunk. I should be pleased that steampunk has made it as far as the popcorn movie — and I am — but I don’t want to see steampunk stop there when it can be so much more.
“I should be pleased that steampunk has made it as far as the popcorn movie — and I am — but I don’t want to see steampunk stop there when it can be so much more.”
I agree (though didn’t it already reach popcorn movie level with League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?), but I am still very much looking forward to this movie, if only for the sheer escapism (and excellent cast). I do wish, however, someone would hire a D’Artagnan who can speak with an accent. I’m tired of American ones lol.
First, I would not say you are nitpicking. Your points on the intertwining of tech and society are spot on. Second, I agree that the film will be fun to watch. However, my caution comes from the fact that if the movie is bad it may in fact scare away people, as you imply. I am most perplexed by the idea of using the musketeer story as the platform (also why is there a throwback to Assassin’s Creed in there around 50-1 min in)
p.s sorry if this was a bit to wordy
Tristan Crownshire
I feel the same way lately. If I mention Steampunk all my friends ask “What is that?” I feel much better now that I actually hear OTHER people talk about it.
My biggest complaint is the aerial battle. Making the blimps’ undercarriages look like sailing vessels was foolish. You don’t need a hull made for parting water on a blimp. The gasbags are much, much too small to support the weight of the wooden carriages, plus cannon, plus cannonballs, etc. even if the lifting gas is hydrogen.
The worst part was the cannoneers firing at the carriages instead of simply poking a bunch of holes in the enemy’s balloon, causing it to crash.
I think all of your points are valid & your love for Steampunk is genuine, but I cannot wait to see this movie. Its Alexander Dumas meets Steampunk! Flying ships, flamethrower cannons, advanced Victorian weaponry! YESSSS! so exciting. The swordplay actually looks tactical, not like the same old simple routines. The physics I’m seeing are very close to what I teach in my Baritzu martial arts, “minus the sword juggling”. I love the three musketeers and this looks like a very good thing to me. I’m definitely dressing up Steampunk for this occasion.
I must agree with Blizno on this topic. You mentioned in your article that sloppy logistics in films does a great diservice to the genre and I must agree. As one who has done extensive study on the engineering of airships (specifically Zeppelin’s mid-late designs) I always am disappointed when I see sailing ships that rather than having masts and are sensible enough to stay in the oceans, have ballonets too small to realistically support their weight. I did the math and on a standard galleon (around 500 tons) you would need roughly 1,574,730 cubic feet of helium gas. Thats over five times as much as the famed LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin. Totally unreasonable. The size of the ship itself would be completely eclipsed by the size of the ballonet. In any case, enough technical rantings. All in all, it looks to be an interesting ride apart from the airships. I quite look forwards to seeing it.
Though I’d agree, that I hope it will bring Steampunk further into the limelight. I’m worried that it will descend into gimmick.
Also, lets not forget ‘Wild Wild West’ and those ‘Spyders’.
My issue is call this the Three Musketeers and referring to Dumas, as if Dumas wrote his book this way. Now millions of idiots will think there are airships in his book and this makes me sad.
I will see the movie and forgive its insolence because it does look visually appealing.
As I watched that Airship battle for the first time, I couldn’t help but think that one man standing on the deck or perhaps with a few balloons tied to his back could easily win the fight with something as simple as a bow and arrows. In my mind I see him floating up in the background behind the bad guys, taking aim then well, insert comical popping and crash noises.
Might be a good flick but I don’t think I’ll be able to take that kind of fight seriously.
Hi all. I have known about Steampunk for a long time now but am only realy getting into it in a big way recently. Please don’t shout me down but is this film really Steampunk or could it technically be a Clockpunk Movie?
I may see this film when it comes out on DVD. From what I saw in the trailer, I like the concept but the acting seems a bit ropey, that maybe an unfair comment sorry. Just that it looks visually good but otherwise the trailer left me cold.
Kindest regards
Doctor Obsidian
I’ve been pretty much bashing this 3M trailer since I first saw it, though I’ve had time to think about it I’m now in acceptance mode. I’m happy to see people talking about Steampunk, but I want those conversations to be positive, not “Oh it’s another one of those SP films, no thanks!”
The insertion of steampunk elements into films where that insertion isn’t justified hurts the chance of a true Steampunk film ever being made, and it cheapens the revolution so to speak. Steampunk is more than just an aesthetic. This adaptation appears so loosely based that it deserves a different title. If that were the case I might enjoy it. There comes a point when you have to say that an adaptation is in actuality a completely new creation. A reimagining of the 3Ms is perfectly legit, but it’s not Dumas’ The Three Musketeers which is what people thought it was going to be before the trailers came out. I won’t even comment on the ninja’s.
As a steampunk fan myself I know that a lot of steampunks are going to flock to this thing on opening night to see airships, and matrix style editing, and I realize there are movie goers that only go to movies to be entertained. I simply outgrew that phase. I want more from my films now, and unfortunately especially with the advent of CGI I’m seeing less films with real meat, or oddly enough fewer films that really arouse that sense of wonder and excitment that films of the past were able to.