Gravity (12A, 91mins)

Starring:  Sandra Bullock, George Clooney,
Director: Alfonso Cuaron

IN space no one can hear you scream.

That was the tagline of the iconic film Alien which has been terrifying audiences for decades.

Ridley Scott’s horror really encapsulated our fear and fascination with space through the idea of being trapped and alone. But Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity proves you do not need extraterrestrials to provoke sheer panic.

The Mexican director’s film starts as a routine operation to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Sandra Bullock is Dr Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission with George Clooney’s veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky and flight engineer Shariff Dasari (Paul Sharma).

At first, everything is casual and confident which makes it even more powerful when the inevitable disaster strikes.

A Russian missile is fired at a defunct satellite sending high-speed debris in their direction.

The team’s shuttle is irreparably damaged and Stone is left adrift in space with six per cent oxygen left in her suit.

Cuarón’s camera work is astonishing.

The Children of Men director’s long shots show how isolated the characters are and scenes filmed from a first person perspective make you feel their disorientation.

That, plus some excellent 3D scenes give you the dizzying impression you are there. But from the quiet boost of Kowalsky’s booster pack to the crackle of the radio, it is the sound effects that really make the film come alive.

And tension builds with every desperate breath.

This is Stone’s Darwinian struggle to survive against the odds and it will feel like you are with her every step of the way.

Following in the footsteps – or giant leaps – of films like Moon, Cuarón somehow makes infinite space feel claustrophobic.

Clooney is strong as the leader who puts his team at ease through jokes and stories.

But this is Bullock’s story and there is an emotional intensity behind the performance as you learn more about Stone.

Gravity will leave you feeling weightless.

Watch the trailer below.