Batman has been broken | Batman: Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall (2026)
I am Jason Kleeberg, this is Force Five, and today I’m going to give you 5 reasons you might like the awkwardly titled 2026 animated DC film Batman Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall, and make sure to stick around because at the end I’ll give you two top 5 lists this movie could easily make.
If you like DC comics, specifically the Knightfall storyline that started back in 1993, you’re going to adore this movie. It’s incredibly faithful in both story and look and I love that it’s not embarrassed by the comic book it came from. It’s pure 1990s comic book Batman where people look strange, costumes are exaggerated, Batman’s got his really tall suit ears, Azrael looks insane, Bane looks like Bane and then at some point an even larger version of Bane and you get plenty of Batman’s rogues gallery here as well. The original Knightfall saga was enormous, running across multiple Batman titles and while Batman has been punched, stabbed, shot at, blown up and thrown off buildings for almost 100 years at this point, there isn’t another Batman story that takes as much pleasure in simply wearing the poor bastard down as Knightfall. It’s a story so expansive that there was no way they’d be able to fit it into just one movie, so this is part one of a trilogy. It’s not a panel for panel adaptation but it understands what people loved about the comic. There have been some great animated adaptations, and if you liked some of DCs other good ones like Batman: Year One, Under the Red Hood, The Killing Joke or The Death of Superman, this shows how good DC animation can be when they take their classic stories seriously.
If you like super violent animation, this movie truly earns its R rating. Bones are broken, people are stabbed and shot, blood sprays, there’s a shot in the beginning scene where a guy takes a flaming sword to the face and we see his head light on fire and barbeque. Because of this overt violence, when Batman gets into fights, you feel like the encounters are really taking their toll on him and that’s necessary because the whole structure of Knightfall depends on you watching Bruce deteriorate. Every fight matters because he’s a little slower, a little more injured, a little more worn down and a little angrier, causing Bruce to cross lines he normally wouldn't cross. If you like the brutality of movies like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the show Invincible, or the animated Mortal Kombat films, Knightfall absolutely does not pull its punches.
The voice cast is excellent, starting with Anson Mount who voices Bruce Wayne. He does an excellent job of making us feel like Batman hasn’t slept in a week - there’s a weight to his voice, an audible frustration and by the end, genuine desperation. Azrael is voiced by one of my favorites, Pablo Schreiber and he does a great job of making him feel unstable without turning him into a lunatic. As great as those guys are, Michael Mando is the standout as Bane and I love the approach they took with him. Mando has talked about wanting to strip away the idea that Bane is just the giant guy who breaks Batman. He’s used his intelligence to stock up on moral ammunition so when he finally encounters the Dark Knight, it feels like he’s studied him and that makes him so much more terrifying.
More on that in a moment.
If you’re not yet subscribed to Force Five, now is a good time to do so. Hit the button down below if you like concise, A.I. free movie recommendations, it really helps me and the channel out.
If you like animated movies with strong visual storytelling, DC Animation has done some amazing work here. This movie looks great, but more importantly, Jeff Wamester and his creative team understood that animation doesn’t mean you stop thinking like a filmmaker. They use shadows, silhouettes, framing, exaggerated perspective, lighting and gigantic character designs to make Gotham feel like it came directly from the comics I loved as a kid. The production leaned into the artwork of Kelley Jones, and Rick Morales cited movies like The Crow and The City of Lost Children as visual influences and that’s explicitly clear on screen. I also appreciated that the movie trusts you to keep up - there’s a ton of Batman history underneath this story with Jason Todd, Alfred, the rogues gallery that escapes from Arkham, and it never really stops to give you much exposition. You’re in for the ride, so buckle up.
Spoilers incoming for this last one, but I think by now, most people will know where this story is headed. If you’ve seen the iconic comic book cover or The Dark Knight Rises, this shouldn’t be a shocker. Bane catches up with the world’s greatest detective and breaks him, literally. I knew it was coming, but what surprised me is how much the ending still affected me. The physical injury isn’t the disturbing part - Bruce is already pretty broken when Bane picks him up. It’s the cat and mouse game Bane plays with Bruce. He’s already got him, he’s toying with him. Batman feels like he’s given up. Producer Rick Morales said that, even after watching the end sequence countless times, watching the finished version with Anson Mount’s performance still made him uneasy and that’s exactly the right word for it. It doesn’t feel like Batman lost a fight, it feels like he might not get back up again.
As for Top 5 lists I’d consider this movie for. The first is Top 5 Broken Back scenes, and there is plenty of cinematic spinal trauma out there to choose from. Probably have to include The Dark Knight Rises on the list, Kickboxer, where Tong Po destroys Eric Sloane with a shot to the back, plenty of Jason Vorhees moments, I don’t remember which one it is but he like folds a sheriff in half backwards in an incredible moment and you know, if we’re expanding the category into general crimes against spines, In a Violent Nature has that yoga sequence. I’d also consider this for Top 5 movies where the hero loses. The Empire Strikes Back, Avengers Infinity War, Se7en, Arlington Road, No Country for Old Men, hell, even Rocky.
If you’ve seen Batman Knightfall Part 1: Knightfall, what did you think of it? And what’s your favorite animated DC film? Let me know in the comments below. If you didn’t subscribe earlier, you can do it right here by clicking the logo and up there is another video YouTube think you’ll like. Finally, down below you’ll find the link to order the film on Physical Media as well as links to my other socials.
Life is short. Spend it with the people, and the movies, that you love.
