All the inmates of Arkham Asylum have been freed, running wild and causing chaos in Gotham. Batman is driven to his limits, going for days without rest. It’s all masterminded by Bane, who has come to Gotham to break Batman. With Batman run ragged, exhausted, and wounded, Bane brings the final confrontation and breaks Batman.
Knightfall is one of the more popular Batman stories. It is right up there with Year One and The Killing Joke.
It was a multi-issue storyline that consisted of three separate parts: Knightfall, Knightquest, and KnightsEnd, though the entire storyline is generally referred to as Knightfall. The first arc ran through 11 issues, going back and forth between Batman and Detective Comics. The entire story was created by Chuck Dixon, Jo Duffy, Alan Grant, Dennis O’Neil, Doug Moench, Jim Aparo, Jim Balent, Eduardo Barreto, Bret Blevins, Norm Breyfogle, Vincent Giarrano, Tom Grummett, Klaus Janson, Barry Kitson, Mike Manley, Graham Nolan, Sal Velluto, Mike Vosburg, and Ron Wagner. That is a very big creative team for a storyline like this.
Now Warner Bros. Animation has finally turned it into a three-part adult animated film series.
Screenwriter Jeremy Adams adapted the story, and he’s no stranger to DC, with credits like Young Justice, Justice League: Warworld, and Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons under his belt. And this adaptation was really well done. Adams was able to take this 11-issue story and condense it into a 78-minute film without really losing anything from the written material.
Director Jeff Wamester does an incredible job navigating this landscape while adding more adult themes to it. I can’t say I was expecting the swearing or some of the gore, but this is a rated R film. Now, this isn’t a knock against Wamester. Like Adams, he’s no stranger to DC either. He directed the majority of the “Tomorrowverse” DC films. So to see him push the boundaries on this one really works.
The cast is pretty great as well.
Anson Mount returns to voice Batman. The first time was in the Injustice film. I can’t say I was crazy about that one, but with Knightfall, we get to see Mount go between Batman and Bruce Wayne, and he does a great job distinguishing between both sides of the character. I kind of hope that after the Knightfall trilogy is over, they keep Mount on to voice Batman in other projects.
Michael Mando voices Bane. Mando was recently seen as Scorpion in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and he does an incredible job as Bane. He’s truly menacing and calculated. Very well done. He totally nailed Bane.
Pablo Schreiber of the Halo TV show voices Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael. Schreiber has nailed Azrael as a man haunted by being brainwashed into becoming an assassin for a secret order while trying to gain control over his dark half.
Jack Giffin voices Tim Drake/Robin. I’m not familiar with Giffin, but I just want to say I am so damn happy that the writers kept Tim in the film. I was so afraid Warner Bros. Animation would replace him with that annoying brat Damian. I’m sorry, but Tim is 100 times better than that little punk. And Giffin is perfect here. Love it!
Finally, rounding out the cast is Bruce Boxleitner as Commissioner Gordon. Boxleitner always brings his A-game, and this is no exception. It just hurts a little to have him voice an older character. Says something about my own age. But still, great job here.
The animation is really good here. Batman has a gothic look to him. His design looks like a combination of Norm Breyfogle and Knightfall cover artist Kelley Jones. In fact, most of the villain designs look like they were inspired by either Breyfogle or Jones. Nicely done.
Once again, bravo to Warner for giving credit where credit is due, but this was all the way at the end of the credits. I found this odd because, in previous projects, the creator credits have come after the cast is listed. I’m not thrilled with the placement, but at least the creative teams got the credit they deserve.
Now, the film is supposed to come with bonus features, but the copy I received only had the movie, so I didn’t have the opportunity to watch them. I plan to check them out when the full version comes out.
Bottom line: Batman: Knightfall is one of my favorite Batman stories, and Warner Bros. Animation did it justice. It’s a very faithful adaptation, and after all these years, finally getting to see this massive story brought to life was a real treat. I can’t wait for Part 2.
Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall will be available on participating digital platforms August 25.
On September 8, Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall will be available to own on 4K UHD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD from online and physical retailers. Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall will also continue to be available in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers.
Part 2 will be available later in 2026, and Part 3 will be available in early 2027.
Dan Kleiner