Just as Martin was lost in his chaotic thoughts—
The darkness on the giant screen suddenly faded, the screen lit up faintly, and the movie officially began.
Against the pitch-black backdrop of the screen, a twilight scene after sunset appeared. The camera angle abruptly lifted.
The audience's perspective was suddenly pulled into the sky along with the camera.
In the dusky sky, swarms of bats flapped across the scene. As they converged, they formed a massive bat-shaped shadow.
Batman's iconic logo appeared boldly before the audience.
Moments later, the bats dispersed into the distance, revealing the film's title: Batman Begins!
The scene shifted, opening with young Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes—two childhood friends—playing together in a garden.
Unfortunately, young Bruce accidentally fell into an old, abandoned well, dropping into a dark underground cavern.
The pitch-black cave terrified him. As he cried out for help, a swarm of startled bats suddenly burst forth and flew directly at him.
In the next second, the screen flashed—and a close-up of Ben Affleck's handsome face appeared. The timeline had jumped forward: Bruce Wayne was now an adult.
As the film progressed, Christopher Nolan employed his signature nonlinear editing style—constantly interweaving flashbacks—to clearly convey how Bruce's childhood trauma of falling into the bat cave, being terrified by darkness and bats, left a profound psychological scar.
This childhood fear, juxtaposed with scenes from Bruce's adulthood, powerfully illustrated his path to becoming Batman, and his process of overcoming fear.
There's no denying that Christopher Nolan's editing is masterful. He doesn't present the story in a simple linear fashion—instead, he invites the audience to think, to guess, and ultimately to uncover the truth themselves.
That's Nolan's signature. His films give viewers a sense of participation, and he strikes just the right balance: enough mental engagement to be interesting, but not so much as to feel overwhelming—leaving audiences with the satisfying illusion that they are smart.
This is why—even though Christopher Nolan makes commercial films—his work always feels elevated. Unlike generic popcorn flicks that are juvenile and dumbed down, where even saving the world feels like a kiddie roleplay.
The film continued. Through interwoven flashback montages, the audience was gradually drawn into Bruce Wayne's inner world.
When Thomas Wayne lifted his terrified son out of the bat cave, he spoke the words that would shape Batman's destiny:
"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."
With that line, the score grew somber.
Many comic-savvy viewers sensed it—this was the turning point in Bruce Wayne's transformation into Batman.
Sure enough, the next flashback followed.
Young Bruce went to the opera with his parents.
The camera split into two perspectives:
Inside the opera house, everything was lavish and opulent. The people dressed to the nines. It felt like paradise on Earth.
Outside the opera house, the alleys were dark, cold, filthy, and rundown. Vagrants wandered the streets—it was hell on display.
As the opera continued, the two perspectives began to merge.
Frightened by the bat-like shadows on stage, Bruce begged his parents to leave early. The family stepped out of the grand opera house and into a shadowy, desolate alley.
Suddenly, the sharp sound of hurried footsteps echoed. A few rats scavenging in trash squeaked and fled, as if sensing that something terrible was about to happen.
Two gunshots rang out.
A broken pearl necklace scattered across the ground.
"No—!"
Young Bruce dropped to his knees before the lifeless bodies of his parents, overwhelmed with grief.
In that moment, he became an orphan—and the heir to Wayne Enterprises. A billionaire.
As Bruce grew up, he became Gotham's infamous playboy, but beneath the facade, he was consumed by pain.
Because he had insisted they leave early, he believed he had caused the tragedy. He believed he had killed his parents.
He carried that unshakable grief and trauma with him. The horrific memory, entwined with his deepest fears, became a shadow that never left him.
Simply put: the present-day Bruce Wayne was just a lonely orphan drowning in hedonism to cover the cracks in his soul.
His heart was full of fear: fear of darkness, fear of bats, fear of cold alleys, fear of gunfire, fear of every lonely night.
As the plot progressed, the theater grew quieter. The audience was drawn deep into Bruce Wayne's abnormal inner world.
"A psychologically broken superhero," muttered Tom Cruise as he stared at the screen. Then he glanced at Martin and Nolan nearby. "One dares to write it, the other dares to film it… and the result is somehow incredible…"
A flicker of envy crept into Tom Cruise's heart—envy of Martin's talent, envy of his vision, envy of how he always managed to create or contribute to timeless works.
Without a doubt, this unusual Batman would become a classic.
For a moment, Tom thought of Kingdom of Heaven, the movie he had starred in—and couldn't help sighing: "Why is the gap between people so wide? God really is unfair—he seems to have given this kid everything."
The film continued.
Bruce Wayne finally grew tired of hiding behind a life of drunken indulgence.
He left Gotham and wandered the world, even spending time in prison.
Eventually, he met a man named Henri Ducard.
It was the destined meeting of master and disciple.
This mentor—Bruce's spiritual guide—taught him that discipline and a clear goal would make him stronger.
Thus, Bruce joined the League of Shadows and became Ducard's apprentice.
But he had no idea what the League truly was. Under Ducard's persuasive words, Bruce believed he was pursuing justice by following him.
From this point, the film shifted into full action mode.
After repression comes release.
The audience's adrenaline began to surge.
That's what makes Nolan a smart director—he knows what a commercial film needs. Had he stuck to the first third's tone, this "new Batman" might have been an Oscar contender—but would've flopped at the box office.
But Nolan understood that if he wanted to survive in Hollywood 3.2, he had only one choice: make money for the investors.
So, he decisively accelerated the pace of the second half, rolling out a series of fight scenes, car chases, and explosions.
Yet even then, Nolan kept control. He didn't let the tension peak too early. Instead, he steadily built it up, slowly guiding the audience's emotions.
Until the final half hour of the film.
Bruce Wayne finally donned the cape, the mask—the very symbols of Batman—and resolved to save Gotham City.
This man, who had walked such a long path and conquered so many fears… finally became Batman.
He defeated the maniacal Scarecrow. He foiled the League of Shadows' plan to destroy Gotham…
And when the Bat-Signal lit up the night sky—
Gotham's criminals, it was time for you to tremble!