Beautifully shot, complex story

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2015)

Upon watching Birdman I was left with a sense of bedazzlement. The movie features great performances with characters that are a reflection of the real world. The long takes by Iñárittu are wonderfully executed and exceptionally supported by great lighting and a competent cinematography. Still the whole experience felt somewhat underwhelming.
To summarize, this movie is about Riggan Thomson, a man famous for portraying Birdman, a comic book superhero. Now he is trying to shed this association as he attempts to make it big on Broadway with an adaptation he writes, directs and stars in. Keaton was off course a perfect choice given his background as Batman in the late80's/early 90's. I feel that this movie expertly satirizes the pop culture aspects of today in a way that doesn't offend. Since I am as much a fan of this type of movie as I am of the blockbuster, I can relate to that. While Riggan is the main focus, characters like Mike, Lesley and Sam all offer their version of a real life person. Norton's Mike is a mockery of the method actor that seems to over accentuate everything when it comes to their art. Stone's Sam is the typical messed up daughter of a once famous actor and to a lesser degree, Watts's Lesley is that actress that doesn't know what happened to her ambitions as a performer. I do admit that last one isn't that apparent. All in all, these three and other main cast members do a stunning job.
Birdman is a movie that did seem to wanna say something about the current world. It's problems along with how people from a different time are adapting and coping with themselves. Still the message fails to fully come across, at least for me. However I still applaud what is an otherwise well made film.
Rating: 7/10