Amid the speculations and high expectations of fans, the Fate movie premiered!
It was a leisurely Saturday. In the north, people stayed warm with central heating, while in the south, they braved the cold, damp air. Fans across the country filled movie theaters, ready to witness the magic unfold.
The film began with the logo of Picca Comics set ablaze by a large fire. A little pink-haired girl appeared, peeking out shyly, as the flames spread across the screen, revealing a devastating scene. Under the red sky, a massive fire consumed everything in its path—houses crumbled, and people scattered in panic.
"When I regained consciousness, I was in the middle of the ruins. In that fire, I lost everything—my home and my family…"
As the flames subsided, a large hand reached out to a young boy. A fleeting shot of a weary man's face flashed across the screen.
"Is that Kiritsugu?"
"So this Holy Grail War is the one after Kiritsugu's!"
Fans in the audience began whispering their guesses.
A somber, intense score swelled as the movie officially began.
Compared to the Heaven's Feel (HF) route movie from Ren's previous life, which ran about two hours, Ren's version was a bit longer. In the previous world, the HF route was adapted only after the Unlimited Blade Works (UBW) route had been thoroughly explored through multiple adaptations. The HF route, known for being the darkest and most tragic of the three routes, was heavily condensed in its movie form due to budget constraints and the need to streamline the narrative.
The filmmakers had assumed that the audience was already familiar with the story, so they skipped many important scenes. For instance, the famous moment when Shirou is fatally wounded by Lancer, then revived by Rin using a gemstone, and subsequently chased to the warehouse where he summons Saber, was glossed over in the original HF movie.
But in Ren's adaptation, these key scenes were all included.
As the film progressed, the fight scene featured in the trailer unfolded on the big screen.
Ren understood that the battles between Servants were a major draw for fans—much like how fans of *Transformers* watched primarily for the explosive, high-tech action rather than the story. Fans of *Fate* were captivated by the epic, cross-era battles between legendary heroes summoned from across history to fight for the Holy Grail.
So, a significant portion of the budget was dedicated to these battle scenes.
And it was worth every penny.
The combat scenes were grounded in a realistic visual style. The intense clashes, the sound of weapons striking against each other, and the raw energy of the battles kept the fans glued to the screen, unwilling to miss a single moment.
When Shirou, the unsuspecting bystander, interrupted the battle, fans finally exhaled, though somewhat reluctantly.
The intensity of the fight had left many holding their breath, entranced by the spectacle.
In the audience, Daniel, a well-known fan, reflected on the production. "Wow, Picca is really pulling out all the stops! I heard this movie alone cost over seventy million. And this is just the first part of Heaven's Feel! There will be more sequels—probably up to five or six parts. The total cost must be in the hundreds of millions by the end."
He continued to ponder, "This movie is different from *Fate/Zero*. *Zero* was an ensemble piece, but this film seems to focus on the boy Kiritsugu saved—Shirou. And that makes sense. Ensemble casts are tough to manage, and with such a high budget, they can't afford to risk the story going off the rails. But so far, it looks promising!"
As Daniel mulled over the storyline, a collective gasp from the audience snapped him back to attention.
Lancer had found Shirou and killed him.
"There's no way he's dead!"
Even though the scene showed Shirou being impaled, Daniel was sure he wouldn't die. After all, Shirou was prominently featured on the movie posters.
Sure enough, Rin saved him.
Shirou, now awake, was confused. Wearing blood-stained clothes, he stumbled back home. On the way, he encountered a silver-haired, red-eyed little girl—an eerily familiar face.
"If you don't call her out soon, you'll die, big brother~," the girl teased.
Shirou was puzzled by the girl's words, but fans who had watched *Fate/Zero* recognized her immediately.
This was Illyasviel, Kiritsugu and Irisviel's daughter from the previous Holy Grail War!
At this point, it became clear that many characters from *Fate/Zero* would appear in this new Holy Grail War.
So far, we've seen Kiritsugu's rescued child, Tohsaka's daughters—Sakura and Rin—and now Illyasviel. Could they all be participants in this Holy Grail War?
Daniel pondered this possibility as the story continued.
Lancer attacked Shirou's home, forcing Shirou to defend himself. Just as he was about to be killed again, an iconic scene played out before the audience.
In the moonlight, Shirou and Saber locked eyes.
"Servant Saber, I have come in response to your summons. I ask you, are you my Master?"
In that moment, the entire theater erupted with excitement.
Saber's presence alone made the ticket price worth it for many fans.
The film continued with scenes that the original HF movie had omitted, such as Shirou's misunderstandings and battles with Rin and Archer, Archer getting wounded by Saber, and dialogues explaining the background of the Holy Grail War.
Fans also finally learned why the Holy Grail War, typically held every sixty years, was now happening just ten years after the last one.
Of course, during this time, Saber's new raincoat outfit also drew some chuckles from the audience.
The mighty King of Knights, clad in a somewhat cartoonish raincoat, brought a lighthearted touch to the otherwise intense film.
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