There were a few surprises at the 87th Academy Awards, including the unexpected recipient of the best picture of the year award.

The main surprise of the evening was the film, “Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” taking home best picture of the year. Experts, critics and film buffs alike adored the film. For many though, it wasn’t the most deserving among the nominees for best picture.

The film, “Boyhood,” was predicted to win best picture because of the 12 years it took to film and director Richard Linklater’s ability to maintain the film’s vision throughout its entire filming. This a testament to Linklater who had a clear cut vision as to what he wanted to create and how it was supposed to evolve as time went by.

This was why many people were both perplexed and dumbfounded that “Boyhood” only took home one Oscar—for Patricia Arquette’s stunning supporting actress performance as Olivia Evans, the mother of Mason Evans Jr. played by Ellar Coltrane.

So, why did the academy choose “Birdman” as the best picture of 2014?

For one, the academy loves films that are about the art of acting. This can clearly be seen through past Academy Award best picture winners such as “Shakespeare in Love,” about stage acting, and “The Artist,” which focused on the era of silent acting.

Next, the academy simply adores films that have deep or meaningful messages. One of the messages of “Birdman” is that most audiences aren’t interested in philosophical dialogue and messages.

Instead, “Birdman” asserts that audiences want action and explosions, which is a critique on the superhero genre particularly. It goes on to express that critics of today are critiquing the entertainment industry the wrong way. According to “Birdman,” they’re critiquing a piece of entertainment through big words and not actually explaining what it is about the film’s content or structure they didn’t like.

In the end, Birdman is a great film, yet will be looked back on years from now as an undeserving best picture winner. It is, after all, what happened with “Shakespeare in Love,” which won over “Saving Private Ryan,” and “The Artist,” which won over “The Help.”