As a die-hard fan of The Lord of the Rings, this was the first time Brad Miller walked into a cinema to watch one of Duke's non-Rings movies. To be precise, last year's Taken didn't suit his taste. After watching the trailer, he hadn't bought a ticket. But Batman: Begins was different. From the moment he saw the trailer, its inky darkness and realistic style stirred a deep desire to see the film—so much so that he flew from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Walking past the crowd of eager fans, he arrived at an empty seat and politely asked the young man next to it, "Hi, is this seat taken?"
"Nope," the young man replied courteously. "You can sit anywhere."
After sitting down, Brad Miller glanced at the young man again. He looked familiar.
He tentatively asked, "Are you from Los Angeles too?"
"Yeah," the young man nodded slightly.
From his accent, Norman Shiller could tell the man was probably from California too.
"I'm Brad Miller," said Brad, extending his hand despite being older. "From Valencia, in Greater Los Angeles."
Norman Shiller shook his hand. "I'm Norman Shiller, from Venice, Los Angeles."
"I remember now." Brad Miller suddenly realized, "You're the head of Duke Rosenberg's Los Angeles Fan Association."
"Just one of them," Norman Shiller said modestly.
Two strangers, drawn together by a shared passion, instantly became familiar. Their conversation centered solely on Duke's films.
"I'm really looking forward to it."
In the second row, Scarlett Johansson sat beside Irene Lauder and whispered, "This is Duke's first superhero movie."
Irene Lauder withdrew her gaze from the front row where the crew sat and turned to Scarlett. "Dear, are you worried?"
"Worried?" Scarlett shook her head. "Why would I be worried, Irene? I started working with Duke from his second film, The Rock. He's never failed only become more and more successful. Sure, this Batman franchise was ruined by Joel Schumacher, but I believe Duke will breathe new life into it."
She also turned her head to look at Irene Lauder. "You and Duke are so close. Don't you have faith in him?"
"I've never doubted that he'll keep succeeding."
After stating that naturally, Irene suddenly thought of something else and asked, "Scarlett, I heard you're set to star in Duke's next film?"
"Yeah." Scarlett lifted her chin slightly. "More precisely, it's a whole series for Marvel."
Irene Lauder knew well how an actor's career could soar after starring in a Duke film, and given Scarlett Johansson's close relationship with Duke, she was undoubtedly destined to become a superstar.
Thinking of this, Irene Lauder added, "Scarlett, interested in becoming the face of Estée Lauder?"
Scarlett Johansson was slightly surprised, thought for a moment, then replied, "I agree in principle, but you'll have to talk to my agent."
Friendship was one thing, business another—she drew that line clearly.
"The movie's about to start."
Someone nearby made the comment, and the entire theater fell silent.
First to appear was the Warner Bros. intro, followed by the DC Comics logo, both tinted in eerie greenish-black hues. For those like Irene Lauder and Scarlett Johansson, who were familiar with the film, this clearly symbolized the movie's dark tone.
"It's starting!"
Norman Shiller and Brad Miller exchanged phone numbers and wrapped up their chat, both fixing their eyes on the big screen.
They knew well that if Duke was rebooting the Batman franchise, the first film needed to reshape Bruce Wayne's image and establish the series' tone. Pre-release promotions had already revealed enough: "Bengins" would tell the story of how and why Bruce Wayne became Batman.
Batman wasn't born Batman, nor did he become one willingly. It was a painful, even dark transformation. Bruce Wayne's soul underwent a kind of cleansing during the process.
Fear was undoubtedly the most important theme introduced at the film's start.
From the beginning, young Bruce Wayne falls into a well and is attacked by a swarm of bats. Fear this primal human instinct is triggered and runs through the entire film.
In a sense, this fear indirectly caused the death of his parents.
The hatred toward the killer, the anger in his heart, the city's corruption, the uncertainty of the future, the hatred for crime...
All of these drive Bruce Wayne, the heir to a billion-dollar fortune, to change. But how should he change?
What should one do when faced with anger and hatred?
Watching Bruce Wayne leave Gotham, Norman Shiller also ponders this question. If it were him, what would he do?
The best way is to unleash the anger and hatred to the fullest.
But in the process of unleashing, would he, like the League of Shadows, end up hurting the innocent, or even be consumed by the fear hidden beneath the anger and hatred?
For a person to become strong, they need more than just a strong body they need a strong heart as well.
Without a doubt, before meeting Henri Ducard, Bruce Wayne, though he had learned some solid combat skills during his travels and experience fighting crime, did not have a strong enough inner self.
But Bruce Wayne is no coward. Because of his past, he hates crime and wants to fight it. As the pride of Gotham City, he even more so wants to save his city.
What he needs most is to find himself and face his inner fear.
Why do people fall? So they can learn how to get back up.
Bruce Wayne never lacked the courage to stand up. His father's teachings also played an important role.
At the peak of the snow-covered mountains, Bruce Wayne endured Henri Ducard's rigorous training and spiritual guidance. His once-lost mind gradually found the path he was meant to take. Fear had brought him pain, but it would also bring him strength—the strength to save Gotham City.
Gotham City is a dark metropolis breeding criminals, full of filth and corruption, where gangs run rampant, the police are corrupt, and the people live in misery.
Bruce Wayne personally witnessed his parents being ruthlessly murdered by a thug, leaving a permanent shadow in his heart.
He hated his own powerlessness. He wanted to become stronger, so he wandered the world, training in various places. He encountered the League of Shadows and met Henri Ducard, a figure who was both a mentor and a father to him.
"If you can push beyond your limits and devote yourself entirely to a noble ideal, they cannot stop you. You will become something else. A legend."
This was what Henri Ducard told Bruce Wayne in the prison.
How does one surpass oneself? By overcoming oneself. How does one overcome oneself? By conquering one's primal instinct—fear.
The transformed Wayne returns to Gotham City, to the well that once filled him with fear.
"Bruce, why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up."
This was the line Bruce Wayne remembered most clearly from his father. As he stood up among a swarm of screeching, swirling bats, he conquered his fear. A legend was about to be born.
In the underground cave, as Bruce Wayne slowly stood surrounded by bats, he was reborn. He turned his fear into a symbol of fear Batman!
Undoubtedly, this seemingly meaningful shot is actually meant to be emotionally stirring a lost boy finally finds himself, ready to become Gotham's guardian!
The majestic soundtrack, combined with Duke's carefully designed long take, gave the scene an extraordinary feeling.
At the moment Christian Bale stood up, Norman Shiller and Brad Miller couldn't help but clap. The theater burst into applause, as if everyone deeply empathized with Bruce Wayne's journey.
"There weren't any overly intense action scenes, but he still performed excellently."
Not far from Scarlett Johansson, George Lucas, who attended the premiere, nodded slightly, "Duke is always improving. He never stops."
He knew very well that after the disaster caused by Batman & Robin, if Duke had continued the gothic style, the new Batman series would likely have limited potential. But Duke clearly understood this too, and directly broke away from the pattern of the past four Batman films, producing Batman: Initiation with an entirely new concept.
The film completely abandons the flashy, superficial elements. While maintaining Duke's signature intense action scenes and sharp editing, it dives directly into Bruce Wayne's inner world, aiming to move the audience through emotional resonance.
Judging from the live response, Duke's approach seems to have hit the mark.
In Hollywood's decades-long history, there's never been a director who could continuously improve with every film they make. If one must name someone, it could only be Duke.
As someone who once guided him and watched him grow step by step into a top-tier director, George Lucas was certain of that.
His father and Henri Ducard are undoubtedly the two most important figures in Bruce Wayne's life especially the latter. He taught Bruce powerful combat techniques and ninja skills, and guided him out of fear, helping him release the immense power brought by that fear. But in the end, he and Bruce Wayne had fundamentally different beliefs.