10 Movies that inspired me

I’m sharing a list I’ve been wanting to make about films that have been very inspiring to me throughout my life. They’re truly great, so instead of watching the awful stuff that tends to get made these days, you can enjoy these and have a good time.

Also, they’re all great stories. Each one has something that became part of me, and in some way they have also influenced my game, Caverns and Dryads.

Lady in the water

This film is beautiful. A water nymph appears in an apartment complex. This slightly unusual premise gives rise to a gorgeous story where fantasy and archetypes enter the world of modern people. It shows us how legends can still exist, and how suddenly the lives of everyone in the film gain a mission, a purpose.

For me, the most beautiful thing about this movie is that transformation in the characters. The myth returns, and suddenly their lives make sense. And of course, a nymph. What more could one ask for? You know me…

Excalibur

Excalibur amazed me as a child. Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere… This film is sublime. With the music of Wagner and Carl Orff… And the colors, the scene design. I think my game carries a lot of that in its spirit.

Now, like other films on this list, some consider it dark fantasy. That term means something different in Spain than it does elsewhere. In Spain it’s understood only as an aesthetic idea. In that sense, my game is also dark fantasy, but not in the moral sense.

Excalibur has many elements that also appear in my story: passions, myths, characters with weaknesses and noble characters, places full of color and places with a darker atmosphere…

Krull

Krull is a very original and very inspiring film. What I like most about it is also present in my world: original races based on archetypes (in the film, for example, the cyclopes), mythical creatures unique to that world (the fire mares)… There’s a touch of Greek legend, and even a reference to “The Vanishing Tower” by Moorcock, the author of Elric of Melniboné.

Krull blends a romantic story with fantasy. It also has noble and brave heroes, but with moments of challenge and weakness. Magic, mystery, and above all, many elements that resonate like universal archetypes and legends.

The company of wolves

This film is a twist on the story of the wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. But here, it also introduces a touch of sensuality and magic. The wolf stops being evil and becomes a wild being, neither good nor bad. Little Red Riding Hood becomes a young woman who comes to love the wolf and understand him, accepting his nature.

What stays with me most from this film is its dark yet dreamlike atmosphere, its non-explicit, almost elegant sensuality. And that duality between the wild and the human in the wolf who transforms into a man.

Once again, you already know I’m obsessed with dual beings, caught between nature and humanity, like the dryads.

Ladyhawke

Once again, this is a story that blends fantasy and romance in a very balanced way. It’s ridiculous that people today talk about “romantasy” as if it were something new. It isn’t! It’s just that the romantic fantasy of those years was more balanced, and not explicit. And we all love this mix, men and women, when it's done this way!

Rutger Hauer is one of my favorite actors. And Michelle Pfeiffer, absolutely beautiful. Once again, a being who transforms—this time between hawk and woman. And a noble knight who seeks to free her from the curse, which is inspired by the Dioscuri from Greek legend.

The illusionist

This film is modern but has the flavor of a classic. A magician reunites with his childhood love, who is now engaged to a nobleman. To be together, they devise a plan and escape from some very difficult situations. I loved it for this blend of genres once again. It’s not as mythical as others on the list, but it’s a breath of fresh air in a time when most films are depressing and grey.

The Dark Crystal

The Dark Crystal is a gem of fantasy. It’s a completely unique universe that doesn’t follow any familiar tropes. Incredibly original, with an aesthetic of danger and beauty that I really love.  

At its core is also the story of the two protagonists, who together overcome evil.

Labyrinth

In addition to Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie, this has other wonders like: humor, a great style and an original world. 

There was also game for the C64, and other systems. But the good one is for the Commodore 64.

I love the heroine, who is strong and sweet at once. The Goblin King is ambivalent. There's also a love story, but not mutual. 

The age gap is quite crazy. I consider an eternal being may fall in love with a young mortal, but the girl is not mature, adult or grown at all, so still looks pretty sick. 

Edward Scissorhands

A Gothic movie. Very influenced by the art of The Cure. What I like about this movie is the love story between two very different beings. 

That theme quite obsesses me. You know it. 

Blade Runner

Instead of the trailer I've put the scene that I find most fascinating. 

I can't help but identifying myself with the bad ones. They are not actually bad. They are just another species. They are just human, but another kind of humans. 

Probably I'm weird so that's the reason. And you?