From the first jaw-dropping scene, you are immersed in space. Astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) banter like a mismatched couple in a classic romantic comedy, but their work is deadly serious. Tethered to a space station orbiting at 600 kilometres above Earth, they couldn't be more different: Stone is a medical researcher on her first mission, and Kowalsky's a veteran NASA man headed for retirement. As they complete their tasks outside the station, they're protected from instant death only by their spacesuits. It's clear that their banter — funny as it is — is a screen.

Then, the unimaginable happens. Plunged into crisis, Stone and Kowalsky suddenly find themselves in mortal danger, and without the aid of NASA command back on the ground. The cold, vast beauty of space stands between them and home. To get there, they've got nothing to rely on but their own wits.

Directed with compelling power by Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Y Tu Mamá También), Gravity draws on the most sophisticated 3D cinema effects to create an entirely convincing experience of outer space. The opening scene is a tour de force, and later sequences ramp up the suspense to sometimes shocking levels. And yet, the true success of this film is its emphasis on character. The relationship between Stone and Kowalsky is full of humour, spark, and nuance, and Bullock in particular turns in one of her strongest performances to date.

Working on visceral, visual, and even philosophical levels, Gravity represents the best of what movies can accomplish.

CAMERON BAILEY