Sandra Bullock plays Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first mission in space. She's working alongside veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), a confident type not prone to panicking. But a routine task goes extremely awry when wreckage from an exploded Russian satellite destroys their shuttle and strands Ryan & Matt in outer space. He manages to tether the two of them together, while they try to make it to the International Space Station, which is not that far away.

Directed, co-produced, co-edited, and co-written (with his son Jonas) by accomplished filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, this becomes both an impressive visual achievement and a poignant journey for its main character. While I did have some issues with the script, Cuaron makes this an interesting journey to take, complete with incredible production design (by Andy Nicholson), cinematography (by Emmanuel Lubezki), and visual effects. Cuaron is able to do an immersive approximation of what it's really like to be floating in the bleak vastness of space (even when there are always landmarks in sight).

Mostly, this is worth watching for Bullock. While Clooney is engaging, it's interesting that his character is prone to telling stories, when this is really HER story. Bullock, required to do some very physical and emotional things, struggles mightily to keep calm under this unimaginable pressure. She's touched when given reminders of life back on Earth - the sounds of dogs barking and a baby crying. She's also a *relatable* and *believable* individual; somewhat in over her head, she's got her work cut out for her avoiding panicky behavior.

A few years in the making, this won *many* awards, including Oscars for Cuaron, co-editor Mark Sanger, Lubezki, composer Steven Price (whose score is truly striking), and for the sound mixing, sound editing, and visual effects. It's definitely a memorable experience.

Ed Harris (who, of course, had previously done "Apollo 13") is the voice of Mission Control.

Seven out of 10.