Outstanding Film. Not for the Transformers Crowd.

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2015)

Outstanding film. I thought Birdman was a complete breath of fresh air, and not what I was expecting at all...in a good way.
I will say this: If you saw the trailer, and are somehow expecting this film to be a version of Transformers, it won't be.
But if you're looking for a film with some of the best writing of the year, amazing camera work that totally absorbs you (20-minute non- stop takes following the actors through the scenes), a film with an almost perfect blend of humor and drama, and one in which, within 5 minutes of it's opening, proves itself so charmingly odd and unpredictable, that you're not quite sure what will happen next...than this film may be for you.
Birdman skewers everything that's wrong with celebrity culture and Hollywood, while in many ways, embracing what can be great about it.
Michael Keaton (who has been off the Hollywood radar for quite some time) is perfectly cast as a former movie star, who is well known for the "Birdman" movie franchise that was a series of hugely popular comic books films 25 years earlier. (Not all that dissimilar from the Batman franchise the real-life Keaton starred in 25 years ago).
Keaton's character, Riggan, is trying to resurrect his career, but as a serious actor, by directing and starring in a Broadway play. Pulling of this feat, will have numerous barriers, including him taking on a difficult role that many may not accept him in, a co-star lover, and, most hilariously, a narcissistic, unpredictable co-star (played Ed Norton), that seems to be trying to sabotage the production at every turn, if it means staying true to himself.
Riggan is an actor who is desperate not to be forgotten. He needs to feel important again. His character taps into the self-loathing attitude and the need to believe that he is special, that we all feel, all while he is haunted by the voice of his alter-ego, the Birdman, who taunts him that he is a fraud who is making a huge mistake.
Is Birdman light on plot? To an extent. Although I would say the plot revolves around an aging Hollywood movie star trying to pull off a hugely expensive Broadway show, without losing millions of dollars of investors money, all to see if he can salvage his career, and hence his reason for living.
But even if some do feel it's light on plot, who cares? It's a completely engrossing film that follows interesting characters, played by actors who are compelling to watch. That's about you can ask for in a film.