Something happened to me on the way to see Birdman, a movie I was once quite excited for.  I saw all of the trailers and clips we had been posting and my excitement just kept diminishing.  It all seemed so smug, on-the-nose obvious, and pleased with itself that it turned me off.  I'm not saying that this is true of the finished film, but as a consumer of both trash cinema and great movies the one thing I can't stand is when a movie thinks it's smarter than the landscape around it (especially when it's not).  This sentiment doesn't diminish when I watch the faux Birdman Returns trailer, which I suppose is meant to lampoon the superhero movie past of Michael Keaton's character in the film. But I can't tell what it's making fun of.  1992?  Batman Returns (which was actually pretty great)?  It's too flat to be funny or incisive.  I'll still see the real Birdman, but I hope its attitude towards this stuff is a bit more complex.

Hit the jump to check out the new Birdman Returns trailer.  The actual film was directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and also stars Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough, and Amy Ryan.  Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is now in theaters.

I mean I guess it works it they're just trying to give context into Riggan's past, but as satire it falls flat to me.  Trailer courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Here’s the official synopsis for Birdman:

BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.