Captivating from start to finish!

Rating: 9/10 (3 May 2020)

Birdman tells the story of Riggan Thomson, an actor looking to revive his flagging career by producing, writing and starring in a Broadway show, hoping to recapture some of the fame and success afforded to him in past by playing superhero 'Birdman'.
The story was really gripping, and the character of Riggan deep and interesting. Its no wonder Birdman won Best Original Screenplay. It's a truly unique and clever story told in a wonderfully inventive, humorous, dark and sombre way. A large part of this was down to the characters, who were so well thought out and put together. Birdman gave us a peak behind the curtain of Broadway and the souls that take to the stage, at times giving highly satirical portrayals of a stereotypical Broadway performer. The way that they all interacted was fascinating, with the script so sharp and the acting always on point. The more comedic elements of the film always hit the mark, with all of the characters and cast contributing to this.
Birdman has such a great ensemble cast, any of whom could have been awarded an Oscar for their performance. Not a foot put wrong in the whole cast. Keaton, Stone and Norton were all fantastic, all giving very varied performances which kept you on your toes. Zack Galifianakis was great in a serious capacity, and Naomi Watts also delivered a great supporting performance. If you need any convincing watching Birdman, the acting alone is worth it.
What really stands out for me is the camera work and direction. The shots tracking through the theatre was so intriguing, bringing Broadway to life in a thoroughly unique way. Inarittu mapped out the environment of the theatre so cleverly with the choice to film this as a one shot. This was used to great effect in showing the relentlessness of the pressure that was being exerted on Riggan, both by himself and by the stress of launching a Broadway show. There was no let up as we felt like we were living in the moment with Riggan and the rest of the cast. The direction reflected this perfectly and cultivated an atmosphere of anxiety and desperation that was breathing down on the characters as well as us as an audience.
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Simply put Birdman is fantastic. You can tell that so much care was put into this film from everybody involved. It delivers everything you could want from a film and will keep you most entertained for 2 hours.