Everything hit: the storytelling, animation, pacing, fight scenes, and even the way Part 1 leaves you hanging. I genuinely cannot wait for Part 2.
What really got me, though, was how human Batman feels in this. Obviously, we know Batman is eventually going to find a way to come out on top. He’s Batman. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen him portrayed as this physically and mentally exhausted, where you can actually feel that he’s being pushed to his absolute limit.
And Bane is PERFECT for that.
Bane has always been one of my favourite Batman villains because he’s so much more than the muscle-head people sometimes reduce him to. He’s incredibly intelligent, calculated, patient, and physically capable of actually matching Batman. We’ve seen glimpses of that side of him before, especially in The Dark Knight Rises, but this takes it to another level.
Then there’s Azrael, who adds another level of brutality to the whole thing. I never really got into the comics, so I went into this not knowing much about him or exactly where he fits into the story. That actually made him even more interesting because the entire time I was thinking, what exactly is this guy about to bring to this situation?
And he seems ridiculously OP. Without spoiling anything, if this guy actually learns to fully control what he can do, he’s going to be insane. There were moments where I was genuinely thinking Batman might not even be able to handle this dude at full potential.
That uncertainty makes the story even better. You've got Bane systematically pushing Batman to his breaking point while this other potentially terrifying force is developing alongside everything.
For once, Batman doesn't feel invincible. He feels like a man who simply refuses to stop.
10/10. Amazing. Part 2 cannot come soon enough!