Gravity

Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón hit it out of the park with the outer space survival tale "Gravity". The original story about a stranded astronaut's fight back home packs an instant hook and has plenty of thriller elements but remains magnificently human as it weaves into its many outlandishly elaborate action sequences tangible feelings of fear, desperation, hope and redemption. A key scene later in the film that's too delicious to spoil might be a bit crude in its construction but proves to be nonetheless a moving touch of great humanity. Also responsible for that sense of attachment and purpose in a genre otherwise associated with cool technicality is the wonderful cast of two consisting of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, both of whom bring physical proficiency and dramatic finesse to their parts.

Ultimately this movie belongs to Cuarón and his technical team though. Emmanuel Lubezki's stunning cinematography did all but the impossible, capturing the dives, spins, floats, soars of the protagonists in ever-shifting angles and speeds while leaving behind some of the most striking images to grace the big screen in years. Add to that the truly revolutionary visual effects recreating, with terrifying authenticity and jaw-dropping flawlessness, the utterly 3-dimensional experience of space travel and the extraordinary sound design wrapping each frame in thudding fullness or obliterating vacuum, and you've got 90 minutes of nail-biting, toe-curling, heart-stopping suspense that showcases filmmaking of the highest order. A landmark achievement if there ever was one.