While Zero Dark Thirty’s theatrical release isn’t for another week (December 19), critics seem to be tripping over their feet to praise the film. The drama, which centers around the search for Osama bin Laden, has gotten a lot of critical acclaim and has even been named the best film of 2012 by the Film Critics Association of Washington DC on Monday. This is only the latest in a stream of critical acclaim, after wins from The National Board of Review, Boston Film Critics, New York Film Critics’ Circle and New York Online Critics. Of course, critical success doesn’t always equal huge box office sales, but the film seems to be highly anticipated by fans as well, with a 100% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 97% of movie-goers indicating that they want to see it.

The film, written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow looks like the total Oscar bait package and is, in a not-so-surprising turn of events, already generating some buzz for award season. Zero Dark Thirty has also been called “the most impressive film Bigelow has made” (Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter) and a “ damn fine” film (Richard Corliss, TIME).

Whether the flick will live up to the hype remains to be seen, but it will certainly be one to watch out for.

Watch the trailer for Zero Dark Thirty