Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a US fading movie star who once played iconic superhero Birdman in three blockbuster movies but refused the fourth sequel. After two decades, the middle aged Thomson has almost been forgotten by fans. The egotistical actor struggles to regain his former glory and to prove himself as a real performing artist by writing, directing and starring in a theater play.
瑞根•汤姆森（迈克尔•基顿 饰）是美国一个过气的电影演员，他曾因出演（漫画英雄）系列电影《鸟人》三部曲、在其中扮演标志性的超级英雄“鸟人”而出名，（在大红大紫时）他却拒绝出演该电影第四部。二十年后，人到中年的汤姆森已经完全被粉丝遗忘。为了重拾往昔的荣耀，这位高傲的演员打算自编自导自演一场舞台剧来证明自己的表演实力。
Birdman starts with Thomson sitting in the dressing room of a historic theater and follows the process of him preparing and performing his play. If you simply expect an inspirational comeback story, this film might disappoint you.
影片伊始，汤姆森坐在一家经典剧院（百老汇）的化妆间里，紧接着就是他准备上场和舞台表演的镜头。如果你还在期待一部讲述“东山再起”的励志片，那么《鸟人》可能要令你失望了。
Before his Broadway debut, he causes a stir with a video of him dashing frantically wearing nothing but his underwear through Times Square.
在汤姆森百老汇首秀之前，他还曾因为一段全身上下只穿一条内裤走在时代广场上的视频而轰动一时。
Thomson later uses a real gun to shoot himself in front of the audience in the theater. In the end of the movie, Thomson’s daughter Sam (Emma Stone) stands in his room in the hospital, but the father is gone, leaving the viewers to guess where he’s going and whether he survives.
后来，他当着剧院观众的面，拿起一把真枪对自己扣下了扳机。在影片的结尾，汤姆森的女儿萨姆（艾玛•斯通 饰）站在父亲的病房里，却发现父亲已不知去向。汤姆森到底有没有活下来？他又去了哪里？影片把这些悬念都留给了观众。
Probably no one would better understand the main character than Michael Keaton. The 63-year-old American actor first gained fame for his portrayal of the Gotham hero in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). But now when we talk about Batman, we all talk about Christian Bale, maybe also Ben Affleck in the future. Who remembers Keaton?
也许没有人比扮演主人公的迈克尔•基顿本人更能理解这个角色了。这位今年已63岁的美国演员最初凭借在蒂姆•波顿导演的《蝙蝠侠》（1989）与《蝙蝠侠归来》（1992）扮演蝙蝠侠而名声大噪。但是，现在人们说起蝙蝠侠，却只会想起克里斯蒂安•贝尔，或是新一代的蝙蝠侠本•阿弗莱克。而谁又会记得基顿呢？
We have to give the credit to Emmanuel Lubezki for making Birdman fast paced and fluent. The Oscar winning cameraman uses impossibly long tracking shots in the movie, making us feel that it is unfolding in one continuous take. From the reality of Thomson preparing for his show to the illusion of himself flying over the Manhattan city as Birdman, the genius cinematographer allows the film to veer without a break.
《鸟人》节奏紧凑、情节流畅，这都要归功于其奥斯卡最佳摄影师艾曼努尔•卢贝兹基。他在影片中“丧心病狂”的长镜头，让整个影片仿佛在一个镜头下不断展开。从现实中汤姆森为表演做准备到他幻想中的鸟人飞跃曼哈顿，整个影片在这位天才电影摄影师的手中一气呵成。
Throughout the movie, Thomson swings between having high self-esteem and incessantly doubting whether the audience will accept him again. It’s hard to tell whether he’s acting for the sake of art or to ingratiate himself with the critics.
整部电影中，汤姆森时而高傲自负，时而又不断怀疑观众能否接受自己。我们很难判断他的复出到底是为了艺术，还是为了讨好评论家。
Many say Birdman mocks the modern film industry. Whether or not this is true, director Alejandro González Inárritu has successfully raised serious questions about the fading nature of fame in show business.
很多人认为《鸟人》是对现代电影业的讽刺。不管这种说法是否正确，导演亚利桑德罗•冈萨雷斯•伊纳里多都对演艺圈中稍纵即逝的名声成功地提出了一系列严肃的问题。