This gets into the “tribute” vs. “derivative” argument. It is completely subjective and no one is going to change anyone’s mind on the matter. Arguments can be made that pretty much everything made in the last 50 years – at least – is not original. Heck, Hollywood has gone back to remaking their own stuff or raiding other media like comics lately.

You are free to not like it because it is not original, or because it has a steampunk theme, or any other reason you might come up with.

Doesn’t mean they didn’t do a good job with it and it isn’t entertaining. But even that is a subjective measurement. But in general the response has been quite positive.

I get that in a big budget movie, producers are constrained to create something that is recognizable, with more than a few hat-tips to conventions and tropes that audiences are known to enjoy. The issue here — with any web series, with any new media distribution endeavor — is that a producer has more freedom to create something entirely original because the risks are so much lower. “Riese” is merely more of the same, and that’s a damn shame. As for the addition of a Steampunk motif, well… http://bzfd.it/8ZBink

So many movies and series are derivatives of others. That does not make them bad. It’s the execution of the story that really matters.

Oh, wait… those are the hackneyed plot tropes and cliches of every formula piece of sci-fi/fantasy produced in the last 30 years!

Seriously… here’s a producer with a chance to do something with some name genre actors without the constraints of some network suits looking over their shoulder and he does… Spunky Princess & The Rebels vs. Evil Church? What a waste of an opportunity!

“Oh, but it’s Steampunk!” you say. Great. He’s figured out how to take a tired but durable string of genre cliches and make it worse through art direction and set design…