For many, the state of DC Studios under the command and control of James Gunn has been underwhelming at best. I respect that Gunn has his loyal fans who view most everything he touches as pure gold. But his handling of the flagship DC Universe has been a letdown. His “Superman” movie kicked things off with a thud, and “Supergirl” somehow managed to be even worse. And while the streaming series “Lanterns” is getting its praise, it’s a far cry from the source material that many of us grew up loving.

Thankfully there are some notable exceptions. There is Matt Reeves’ exceptional “Batman” and its two upcoming sequels which fall underneath the untethered DC Elseworlds banner. Then there are the DC animated movies, most of which tell standalone stories operating within their own continuity. The wizards at Warner Bros. Animation have delivered some knock-out original features. And it’s no different with their latest release.

“Batman: Knightfall – Part 1” is the first film in an adult animated trilogy that’s based on the acclaimed DC Comics arc which ran from 1993 to 1994. The “Knightfall” comics run consisted of three storylines titled “Knightfall”, “Knightquest”, and “KnightsEnd”. This new adaption sees director Jeff Wamester and screenwriter Jeremy Adams looking to follow the same basic blueprint. And they start things off with a bang.

After being forced to grow up in a violent Caribbean prison ran by a cruel and oppressive warden, a young boy spends years subduing his rage, educating himself, and training his body. Once an adult, he is forced into an experiment involving a volatile super-steroid called Venom. He survives the injections and gains superhuman strength which he uses to brutally kill the warden and his guards. He takes on the name Bane (now voiced by Michael Mando) and sets off for Gotham City.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne (voiced by Anson Mount) is struggling to navigate the death of his second Robin, Jason Todd. To make matters worse, rather than dealing with his trauma, Bruce has isolated himself to the point of pushing away his closest ally, Dick Grayson. Now his biggest fear is that the current Robin, Tim Drake (Jack Griffo) might suffer a similar fate. That fear pushes the harshly overprotective Bruce to relegate Tim to the sidelines.

But Gotham is plunged into chaos after Bane detonates a bomb inside Arkham Asylum, freeing many villains from Batman’s stellar rogues’ gallery. Refusing any help, Bruce aka Batman sets out to capture the escaped inmates who immediately begin terrorizing the city. Mad Hatter, Victor Zsasz, the Ventriloquist and Scarface, Mr. Freeze, Firefly, Scarecrow – each confrontation wears him down more. And despite the pleas of his loyal butler Alfred (Simon Templeman), Bruce refuses to slow down which plays right into Bane’s hands.

The story careens towards an inevitable showdown between Batman and Bane. And if you’re familiar with the original storyline you already know how things turn out. Yet much of the joy is in getting to that epic cliffhanger finish. Adams pens a tightly focused and faithful adaptation that features all the Batman signatures. But he dives deeper into Bruce’s strained psychology, showing his self-inflicted wounds and the emotional toll they’re taking on him and those around him.

Wamester takes the needed time to set up the story, establish his key characters, and flesh out their dynamics. At the same time, he keeps things moving at a kinetic pace, and he doesn’t shortchange the action. This is where the animation stands out most. From its opening scene, “Knightfall” earns its R-rating. It’s aggressive, fittingly brutal, and at times shockingly gory. And it’s enhanced by the fluid choreography, crisp physics, and sharp colors.

Several other familiar Batman regulars add to the story, each accompanied by solid voicework. There’s Commissioner Gordon (Bruce Boxleitner), Riddler (David Dastmalchian), Harvey Bullock (Mick Wingert), Renee Montoya (Jessica Camacho), and Azrael (Pablo Schreiber) among others. It’s a great collection of characters with a top-to-bottom strong ensemble to go along with the enthralling story and jaw-dropping animation. They’re all key ingredients in this exhilarating trilogy launch point that wonderfully sets the table for what’s to come.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS