There are few actors more perfect to play the role of an aging actor staging a comeback in one last-ditch effort to shed the image he cultivated years ago as a big-screen superhero than Michael Keaton. Yes, the actor doesn’t quite have the high profile he did back in the 1980s and 1990s, and those of viewers may already have correctly guessed that Birdman makes good use of the fact that Keaton is still perhaps best known for his role as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns.

However, whereas the current crop of costumed heroes focus on taking down baddies and saving the human race (or alien worlds, in the case of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy), Birdman has more contemplative things on its mind. Of course, this isn’t too surprising, considering that the film is the latest offering from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams).

Keaton stars as Riggan Thomson, a former movie star who is currently prepping his own stage adaptation of Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” Faced with mounting pressure from both behind the curtain as well as within himself, Riggan struggles to sort out his demons in time for his show’s opening night on Broadway.

Despite bearing more than a few similarities to other “tortured entertainer” dramas (namely, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan), Birdman still manages to set itself apart. Sure, there are moments of surrealism, a few over-the-top moments and about as much subtlety as an Acme anvil. Yet, the film is buoyed by a sharp, dialogue-rich script, a sly (and pitch-black) sense of humor about both Hollywood and Broadway, and technical near-perfection. To truly envelope audiences into Riggan’s world, Iñárritu has shot nearly the entire film as a series of long takes, using some camera tricks to create the illusion that the film is happening in real time. The resulting effect gives Birdman a steady, unwavering pace that will leave viewers with small bladders wishing they’d left that jumbo-sized Diet Coke behind.

Keaton though is the unequivocal star of Birdman, and the role gives him plenty of juicy material to work with. His Oscar-worthy performance as Riggan is perhaps the best of his career, allowing him to exude genuine emotion as well as put his high-energy comedic chops to work. The character is at once painfully tragic and perilously pitiful, a sad clown without an audience, and his troubled relationships with both a new co-star (Edward Norton) and his own estranged daughter (Emma Stone) truly exemplify the doomed dichotomy of his professional and personal lives, respectively.

However, even with Iñárritu’s technical prowess and an outstanding ensemble cast, Birdman has its faults. The film – just like Riggan himself – has a bit of an identity crisis, as it can’t decide if it wants to be a soaring backstage melodrama or a satirical dark comedy and ends up being an imperfect amalgamation of the two. Even worse, the film’s third act muddies up its storytelling and culminates in a final few minutes that will leave audiences scratching their heads.

Just like the play at the center of its plot, Birdman is a testament to the difficulty and risk inherent in creating any piece of art. Iñárritu and his team have created a film that, while not quite the masterpiece it aspires to be, will likely inspire admiration throughout the coming months, yielding serious awards talk for its technical achievement and bevy of worthy performances (especially Keaton and Norton).

Those expecting a fun ride should look elsewhere for their superhero fix, but moviegoers looking for a well-crafted psychologically charged character drama – albeit one with dark comic undertones – should take flight with Birdman.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Birdman stars Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zack Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan. It is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and is now in theaters.