Inherent Vice. Remember that? We haven't heard much of Paul Thomas Anderson's druggy epic since the hilarious trailer dropped, but it's finally here. The reviews are in. It seems Anderson - The Master - has done it again. Whether this is going to compete at the Oscars remains to be seen, but Anderson fans can finally feed their appetite.

Inherent ViceJoaquin Phoenix could have bagged himself another Oscar nomination for Inherent Vice

The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as Doc Sportello, a private investigator who investigates the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.

More: Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice: what you need to know

"Inherent Vice, brilliantly scored by Jonny Greenwood, is an Anderson head trip, impure jazz with a reverb that can leave you dazed, confused and even annoyed. But at no time do you doubt that you are in the hands of a master," said Peter Travers of Rolling Stone.

"Trying to pare back Pynchon without killing the joke was the challenge. Anderson has done a remarkable job of replicating the crazy kaleidoscope of crime, dope and raunch the novelist conjured," said Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times.

Inherent VicePhoenix is joined by Owen Wilson [L] in Inherent Vice

"Since most of Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice was meant to be impenetrable, the best approach, as you watch it drift by, is to savor the dreamy images and druggy jokes and forget about penetrating the plot," wrote Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal.

"The fact that perhaps 90 percent of the dialogue comes from Pynchon poses an authorship question that doesn't exist with Anderson's other movies. Still, the deftness with comedy and actors are at a level that few filmmakers working today could achieve," wrote Ben Kenigsberg of the AV Club.

Inherent Vice is the current 66/1 outsider to win Best Picture at the Oscars. It won't win - but Phoenix could find himself in the nominations circle yet again.

More: Owen Wilson reveals Inherent Vice is laced with paranoia