Review of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) by Preston L — 22 Sep 2015

Birdman is shot and edited in such a way that it appears to be a single take throughout 90% of the film. It tells the story of Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) a former superstar of a superhero franchise known as Birdman. He has since washed up and is out to prove he was more than just a lycra bird suit and big action scenes. To do this he is writing, directing, producing, and starring in a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. The production hits speedbumps along the way to opening night and Riggan has a series of mental speedbumps as well.

Things I Liked:

Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. These two guys tear it up throughout this movie. There are a lot of great scenes in this movie but there is this one fairly early on where it's just the two of them rehearsing on stage and the moment they let the characters go you suddenly realize that you have gotten drawn in and are glued to the screen. They both deliver monsterous performances and create incredibly interesting and multidimensional characters. Unbelievable.

The Cinematography. There is a reason that Emmanuel Lubezki has two cinematography oscars. He's phenomenal at his job. The movie, like I said, is shot to appear as though it is a single take that flows through space and time. The movie has a beautiful look and uses both intense chaos and absolute stillness to the greatest of effects. The movie uses sets that create the cramped backstage atmosphere of the St. James Theatre and really makes you feel like a fly on the wall because there is no wiggle room to move around these sets.

The Score. The soundtrack to this movie is absolutely perfect. A combination of over the top classical pieces and freestyle jazz drums. The sweeping score moments are mostly to accompany Riggan's high moments and the times when he is truly feeling on top of the world, the drums are to assist with his inner conflict and the conflict of the show as it falls apart at the seams. The score isn't usually something that stands out to me in movies but this one added so much that it is hard to ignore.

Things I Didn't Like:

Nothing Really. I was transfixed by this movie the first time I got out of this. I caught numerous moments and subtle things I missed from the first time. The third time I watched it I was over come with excitement. I haven't found a moment I was taken away, a problem, line readings I didn't like, characters I felt were unnecessary. This movie is an experience that drags you along and you can't let go until those credits roll because you WILL miss something if you aren't paying attention.

Overall. Overall, Birdman was a reminder of how amazing movies can be. It was a reminder that there are still original things that can come out of Hollywood. It was a reminder that actors who you had written off can come back and astound you multiple times. And for me personally, it's an excuse to indulge all of my interests: theatre, film, superheroes, music, etc. It's an experience. And one I am happy to take part in multiple times over.