Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. It took me over two days to write this review. Mainly, because I needed a long time to process what I witnessed, and how I could put it in words. It took me a while, but I'm pleased to be finally writing down my thoughts on this modern masterpiece. Birdman is a very special film; one that most Western audiences will not comprehend. It is weird, unique and occasionally confusing. But, as most critics are saying, Birdman is a fantastic film, and here's why:

The plot of Birdman is very difficult to explain. It follows Riggan, a washed up, has-been actor who puts all of his efforts and money into a Broadway play, and slowly become a disaster. Also, he may have telekinesis and has a superhero talking in his head. Yeah... that's where this movie lost most people. But for me, that aspect made this movie utterly mesmerizing. The story in unpredictable and so interesting, that I was hooked to the screen throughout the entire runtime of this movie. The pace is supersonic, with so many new things happening left and right, but it never feels too crowded and bloated.

One of the most amazing things about Birdman is the way it was shot. The whole film looks as though it was shot in one take, with the camera always following someone or something. I was blown away by how brilliantly shot this film was, and may be one of the best I've ever seen. There was a couple of shots where my dad and I said "WOW" out loud.

Michael Keaton gives what might be his best performance in this movie, as he basically plays a stranger version of himself. The character worked so well for him. Emma Stone also gives her best performance and the rest of the supporting cast worked simply perfectly. The standout for me was Edward Norton, who plays a bossy and controlling actor. I really hope he gets a "Best Supporting Actor" nod, because he truly deserves it.

Birdman has the best writing I've seen for a comedy all year. There were some moments that had me laughing so hard I almost cried. The humour was not only very smart, but also very spontaneous and funny. There was one scene where Keaton goes crazy on a theatre-critic that expressed every single gripe I've had with critics in one scene. It was marvellous. The dramatic scenes worked well too, with some very emotional parts that actually had me tearing up.

Birdman is a very unique movie in the best way possible. As I stated before, it is shot in a way that is very rare nowadays. The story seems fairly jumbled and all over the place, but it works. The musical score is almost entirely drums, which I personally think helped make the film seem more random and spontaneous. There are a couple of scenes (which I will not spoil) that were so cool, but so bizarre and slightly confusing that I had to take some time to think about them.

I have but one very small problem with Birdman. There was one specific scene that felt like it went on for a little too long. That's it! Other than that very minor thing, Birdman was a flawless movie! It is hilarious, brilliantly-shot, well written, incredibly acted, flawlessly edited and has some of the best shot composition I've ever seen! Please, I beg of you, run out and see this movie. You won't regret it.