If you’ve been waiting with bated breath for Amy Dunne to finally disappear on the big screen, then the first flush of reviews for “Gone Girl” should kick up your anticipation an extra notch.
The movie won’t officially release until next month, but a smattering of critics have already weighed in — and for the most part, they’ve got good, good things to say. Below, we round up a few key opinions from the film’s first round with an audience.
True romance? More like a too-true romance.
“The movie is phenomenally gripping—although it does leave you queasy, uncertain what to take away on the subject of men, women, marriage, and the possibility of intimacy from the example of such prodigiously messed-up people.” — David Edelstein, Vulture
Ben Affleck is ready for his closeup.
“As Nick, Affleck gives what may be the most natural performance of his career. He’s confident without being cocky, charming without being smarmy. You get the sense that his cruel season under the media’s magnifying glass with J. Lo wasn’t entirely for naught.” — Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly
And more importantly, we need to talk about Rosamund Pike.
“Pike, so often a decorative supporting player, delivers a career-defining performance here. She’s a revelation, showing a complete command over Amy – with any luck Gone Girl should bag her an Oscar nomination come awards season.” — Simon Reynolds, Digital Spy
A minority opinion: the adaptation lacks the bite of the book.
“It’s not just that Gone Girl lacks the conviction of its own nastiness — it’s simply not the toxic soulmate saga that its source material is, a brilliantly cynical take on what it means to put effort into your relationship.” — Allison Wilmore, Buzzfeed
But for most, it’s Fincher at his finest.
“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.” — Justin Chang, Variety
“Gone Girl” will be out in wide release October 3.
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