Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014/15) - Movie Review

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) was released in the US last year to meet critical aclaim, although the film was only released in the UK on New Year's Day, so its technically my first 2015 film review, and technically not. Yeah, its always great with staggered release dates...
To be honest, I was hoping for the greatness promised by Birdman, but I had a horrible feeling that, like many awards-bait films, it really wasn't that great. Surprisingly, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) was a fantastic film that seemed to come at just the right time for just the right audience and worked.
While the story is certainly a topical one at the moment (to the extent where the film references Robert Downey Jr and Jeremy Renner in The Avengers) its the wonderful quirky style of Birdman that brings it to life. The direction and cinematography in these sorts of films can be incredibly flat, resulting in a visually boring film that you kind of just sit through. One of the big quirks the film has is that its been filmed to look like its all one take - a great concept that allows for some visually creative choices throughout the film in telling the story, but is sadly hindered by the fact that most of the time, you can tell where the cuts are, and the transitions can be very dull for a film that otherwise was such a treat for the eyes. Its a great idea, but I felt the transitions could have been a little bit more interesting. They're not bad, just disappointing compared to the rest of the film.
Another quirk is the use of mostly drum music - an element that I worried could have massively backfired - but the mix of the drums and the classical music just gells together to create an interesting and original score, making it unique.
The cast are terrific, although if I'm honest, I'm not that surprised. Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Emma Stone are great actors, so of course they're going to be great in this movie. There isn't a weak link in the cast, and everyone has a lot to work with.
Overall, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a fantastic film with a great cast, fantastic cinematography, brilliant direction and a good script and score. 10/10

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