It is hard to believe that "Batman Begins" will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. That one fact alone immediately evokes the first chord of Hans Zimmer's "Time" from his "Inception" score in your head, as you are taken aback at how stupid fast the years fly by these days. No one can doubt how much impact Christopher Nolan's first entry in his "Batman" trilogy left on the comic book genre as we know it. And while the sequel, "The Dark Knight," was arguably more influential, that film would not exist without the origin story that set it up.

Before Christopher Nolan took over the reins on Gotham City, he was notable among cinephiles for his masterpiece, "Memento." The film's nonlinear storytelling and neo-noir thriller elements gave viewers a glimpse into Nolan's creative mind, giving him his first Academy Award nomination for his original screenplay. His next film,...