Batman: Knightfall—Part 1, on BluRay

Batman is a superhero, but he is not superpowered. The titular fan-favorite 1993-1994 multi-title, multi-issue story arc fully embraced that premise. Considered the Bat-equivalent of the “Death of Superman,” the Knighfall continuity previously spawned adult and YA novelizations. Now Warner Animation has launched a three-film adaptation, the first of which, Jeff Wamester’s awkwardly titled Batman: Knightfall—Part 1: Knightfall releases tomorrow on BluRay.

Over the course of the next two punishing days, Batman meets Bane for the first time. If you know your Batman lore, you know that will be very bad news for Batman. However, he must first fight his way through a rogue’s gallery of Batman villains. Ominously, the worst of Gotham’s worst escaped Arkham Asylum thanks to a freak explosion.

Of course, it was actually by design. Bane orchestrated the mass escape to wear down Batman. Thanks to his prison upbringing, Banee has an extremely Darwinist perspective on life, so Batman’s do-gooding violates the savage behemoth’s ideology. Unfortunately, he launched his evil scheme at the perfect time. Still grieving the death of Jason Todd, a.k.a. Robin #2, Batman over-protects Tim Drake (Robin #3), to the point of pushing him away.

The Batcave also has a houseguest, who has his own issues to work through. John-Paul Valley is trying to regain his memory and his sanity, after a Templar-like cult transformed him into the super-berzeker vigilante Azrael.

Even if they are not familiar with the comic series, most viewers probably would not expect much closure for the first part of a promised trilogy. However, Knightfall ends with a particularly shocking cliffhanger. Casual fans might prefer to binge the completed trilogy, but regular Batman readers will want to see how Wamester and screenwriter Jeremy Adams tackle this explosive narrative. They should consider the R-rating a good sign.

Without question, this is the most violent animated DC movie. It is unusually dark, but action-packed. Thanks to Bane’s Arkham distraction, it also features at last half a dozen fan favorite super-villains. Frankly, Knightfall might be too intense for fans who prefer Lego Batman and the Adam Westverse. Nevertheless, there is a strong psychological aspect to the drama, so it isn’t merely a barrage of explosions.

Anson Mount sounds appropriately gruff as Batman, having previously voiced the Dark Knight in Injustice. Frankly, Michael Mando’s vocal performance as Bane more than withstands comparisons to Tom Hardy’s in The Dak Knight Rises. Plus, Bruce Boxleitner is a real stand-out, commandingly voicing Commissioner Gordon.

At an ultra-brisk 78-minutes, Knightfall is tight, tough, and tense. Compared to other recent Batman animated films, Knightfall is not as much fun as Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League, but it clearly understands the characters and the source comics far better than the heavy-handed Aztec Batman. Honestly, Knightfall arguably ranks as the one film that stays the most faithful to the comics. Highly recommended for DC fans, Batman: Knightfall—Part 1: Knightfall releases tomorrow (9/8) on BluRay.