The Blabbering Inferno: BIRDMAN. REVIEWED.

Birdman (2014)

Rating- 15

Running Time- 1 hour 59 minutes

Directed by- Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Written by- Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo

Michael Keaton in a wacky costume and mask? That can only mean one thing!

Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah…

…Birdman?!

That’s right. Keaton plays a twisted version of himself in the form of Riggan Thomson, an actor famous for portraying a superhero who attempts to break away from his typecast by writing, directing and starring in a stage adaptation of Raymond Carver’s ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’. Along the way he faces problems in the form of Mike Shiner (Ed Norton) – a super pretentious method actor brought in to play one of the show’s leads, his not-so-rehabilitated drug addict daughter (Emma Stone), a stubborn critic (Lindsay Duncan) with a mission to get the play cancelled and his own personal demons that take the form of his superhero alter ego: Birdman.

The first thing to point out is that the film is technically well made. Its fluid camera movements and consistent percussive soundtrack gives it a very holistic feel and serves to emphasise the frantic nature of the run up to the play’s preview showing. Its technical achievements are only overshadowed by the acting of all the main stars that gives life to the characters that, in the end, are the make and break of the film; if the characters didn’t seem authentic and real the film would have fell flat on its face due to its very character driven style.

But for me the film was more interesting than enjoyable. It was not a film where I was ever bored but I was rarely entertained; I watched with intrigue. The best moments of the film are the ones in which Thomson makes reference to the current state of superhero films in Hollywood and how they pale in comparison to the originals i.e. him. Obviously this is an amusing nod to Keaton as Batman but he was not the original Batman, Adam West was. I couldn’t help wondering what the film would have been like with West as the lead instead of Keaton. It would have definitely taken a completely different tone, probably one the director didn’t intend, but it would have made it a lot more humorous to say the least. Riggan’s emotionally unstable character would have seen much more real simply because of the way West naturally acts. The script wouldn’t need to change at all to accommodate him either and the thought of Adam West attempting to act in a serious, dramatic play is a thought that alone induces laughter. But that is just my wish and would perhaps work as a summer comedy movie but not a film released right in the middle of the Oscar season, so it would be harsh to judge the film based on that idea especially with how brilliant Keaton was in the role.

However, the film seems in many ways to me like a westernised version of Big Man Japan (2007) and both films are very similar in terms of quality as well: very average. The key difference between the two films lies in their respective endings. First of all, Birdman is without doubt, in my mind, a scene too long but despite what I feel the actual ending scene, more specifically the very last shot, gave me the initial reaction of a slightly amused smile. The more I think of it though, the more I can’t get my head around the ending, I have a few theories as to what it might mean but all have their flaws. There is nothing ambiguous about the end of Big Man Japan though and it did more than induce a smile; it made me laugh out loud. It ends on a delightful twist that is one of the best endings to a film in cinema history, despite the overall quality of the film not being that great. Perhaps comparing Birdman to an obscure Japanese film to make my final judgement on what many believe to be the one of the best films of the year is unfair…

…but that is what I’ve just done.