And they’re off! The Oscar race has officially begun, with David Fincher’s Gone Girl pulling ahead for an early lead. And it may well have the legs to carry it right across the finish line first come Oscar time. The film is, in a word, sublime.

If you’re an avid fan of Gone Girl, the novel, like I am, let me assure you that you will not be disappointed—it’s everything you hoped for and more. I was eager to see how the film could pull off the change of perspectives: A wife disappears and it looks like foul play, possibly murder. Who did what, why and when, who’s guilty, who’s innocent, and who’s getting what they deserve? And who exactly is the bad/good guy/girl here? Book author Gillian Flynn delightfully bats readers around like ping pong balls, and I was curious to see if David Fincher could match that.

I never should have doubted him. After all, he’s the  one who brought us The Social Network, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Fight Club, among many other brilliant films. From the Gillian Flynn’s script to Jeff Cronenweth’s cinematography to Trent Reznor’s score, there are so many intriguing nuances in Gone Girl that you’re absolutely enraptured from start to finish. And if you were disappointed by the ending of the book, you won’t be by the ending of the film. It all becomes clear.

And then there’s the acting. Ben Affleck may be an obvious and adept choice for Nick Dunne, but not so much Rosamund Pyke as his wife, Amazing Amy, or Tyler Perry as the hot shot lawyer, or even Neil Patrick Harris as Amy’s creepy ex-boyfriend. They are all outstanding. And Carrie Coon (The Leftovers) and Kim Dickens (the chef in Treme) give break out performances. If you didn’t see them on HBO, get ready to see a lot more of them on the big screen.

This being first out of the gate for awards season, I keep my fingers crossed that it won’t run out of steam later in the year. But I doubt it. I’ve never been asked so much by so many people about a film. Let me just say that Gone Girl delivers across the board, and is definitely worthy of all your avid anticipation.

Rated R

2 hours, 29 minutes