Although David Fincher's "Gone Girl" will not get it's theatrical release until next weekend, critics have released their reviews of the adaption of the popular novel and it looks like the film is definitely on the Oscar fast track for Directing and perhaps even Best Picture. But with how much critics seem to love Ben Affleck's performance, will he finally secure an Academy Award for acting?

"There's nothing really about this guy or character that I feel connected to personally. Except that I have definitely felt as though I was looking at a version of my life that I didn't recognize through the prism of the media," said Ben Affleck in an recent interview with the New York Times. The academy award winning actor has surprisingly never been nominated for his performance in a film, and it perhaps has to do with the very connection that he highlights between him and the character he plays, Nick Dunne.

Aside from Indiewire's review, critics are quite pleased with "Gone Girl." Currently the film is rated at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. In addition, Variety summarizes their review: "Surgically precise, grimly funny and entirely mesmerizing over the course of its swift 149-minute running time, this taut yet expansive psychological thriller represents an exceptional pairing of filmmaker and material, fully expressing Fincher's cynicism about the information age and his abiding fascination with the terror and violence lurking beneath the surfaces of contemporary American life." With this kind of initial excitement, it appears that the film will definitely make it to the Dolby Theater this February with nominations for Directing and Best picture.

But what can be said about the main character, Nick Dunne, as portrayed by Ben Affleck? In some ways the role is perfect for Affleck, as the media was initially quite in love with the actor and then just as quickly turned on him after series of film flops (i.e. Gigli) and somewhat scandalous relationship with Jennifer Lopez. It seems his ability to recall that time in his life will make him an extremely likely candidate for the Best Actor Oscar this year, as Time Out describes him as "never better" 

There's still months of releases to go before ballot names are decided for the category, but hopefully Ben Affleck will continue to get his redemption from that time the press seemingly turned on him and secure a third Academy Award, this time for acting. "Gone Girl" is predicted to storm the box office at #1 when it debuts on October 3rd.