And so, counting my solitary blessing, off I skeedaddled to the neighbourhood World Of Cine to catch Gravity, a film some selfish sod saw fit to release while I was lounging in my friend's sun-baked garden in Abu Dhabi.
I've been excited about this film since first seeing the trailer - an experience that left me breathless. If two minutes can do that, what could 90 achieve...
And not normally one to be bothered with the whole 3D hoodoo, I really wanted to watch this with the sunglasses on. Everything I've read in the build-up suggested it would be worth it.
OK, turns out you could probably see it in 2D and not feel like you'd missed out on much - but, one tiny line of dialogue aside, that's my only complaint.
If you've somehow missed the build-up to all this, Gravity stars Sandra Bullock as Ryan Stone - a doctor on her first space mission.
She's joined up there by veteran space trucker Matt Kowalski, played sublimely by George Clooney, a man who's on his last mission and would like to take the space walking record back to earth with him.
Sadly, that chance gets kyboshed when a Russian attempt to get rid of one of their own satellites goes a tad awry, resulting in a chain reaction that sends tonnes of debris rocketing around the earth (as fast as a speeding bullet apparently - a line that really jars).
And so, as you'll have seen in the trailer, the fun begins. And 90 minutes later, you'll get your breath back.
To call this film tense, gripping, enthralling and all-consuming is almost under-playing it.
With the subtle use of dialogue, the two characters (and, aside from other voices, that's yer lot) are drawn quickly and clearly, and we start down the road of trying to fix a space thing before the bad stuff comes flying in.
With every bounce, with every knock, you're willing Bullock to grab something to hold her steady, you're almost screaming (but it's a cinema, so you don't) for her to grab Clooney's hand as he spirals past.
And that's just the first half hour.
After that, thankfully, co-writer/director Alfonso Cuaron (the man who gave us the best Potter film in Prisoner Of Azkaban and the sublime, timeless classic Y Tu Mama Tambien) gives us a few breathing spaces.
But not many. And not really, because as one drama subsides, you know the next one is on its way, and you find yourself scouring the screen looking for any tiny bit of satellite that might cause more mayhem.
It's the subtle touches that help in this regard.
The music is understated, the spaces between score segments as important as the orchestration. The dialogue is all necessary (bullet reference aside). The characters are believable, likeable and by the end they're almost family.
Then there's the look of the thing.
Seeing this film on a plane will be a waste, and to be honest you might need a bigger TV to do this justice when the DVD is launched.
Space is big, as we know, but Cuaron doesn't let that stop him from trying to capture it.
There are scenes where all you're looking at is the stars. Sure, Clooney and Bullock are there, but they're the two dots to the far right of the screen. Maybe. Or that could be a space station.
Cuaron manages to capture that feeling of being tiny and lost in the infinite. You find yourself feeling as small and lost as two people trying to get back to their damaged ship with just a few jet thrusters for company.
Somehow, with so little 'stuff' up there, Cuaron gives you a hell of a lot to look at. And you'll be looking at everything.
As for the 3D (Gravity was allegedly designed to be seen in all three dimensions, but then film makers always say that...), early on I wasn't sure it was needed. The added depth is hard to get across when it's just a sky full of twinkly lights.
But, as with everything else in Gravity, it's the subtle layers that work so well - and there were moments when I was actually blinching (it's a word - go ask A A Milne) and ducking in my seat. And that never happened in Avatar.
On the face of it, Gravity shouldn't work (and there are some who have been happily picking the science apart - don't listen to them) - it's two people for 90 minutes. Floating about.
That may work when it's Before Sunset, but they're wandering about Paris. Not spinning about in the infinite blackness of space while you catch the occasional glimpse of Mother Earth.
Then there's Bullock's performance. Not only does she hold the whole thing together, but she does it while never actually putting her feet down. Sure, it may be wires n wotnot, but her performance is so natural and real it captivates you.
And it's not just the spiralling and spinning and yelling and screaming. It's the emotional journey Dr Stone goes in, as amidst the chaos she manages to take stock of her life and situation down on earth.
Bullock manages to provide so much emotional weight to a film laden with effects you almost want to stand and applaud.
Not wishing to take anything away from Clooney, of course, but he is totally overshadowed here. And he's on top form.
So often you fall in love with a trailer, only to find the film a crashing disappointment (Peter Jackson, I'm talking to you), so to find a film not only meets but totally exceeds all expectations is simply wonderful.
Or out of this world, if you will.
(Oh, and to further labour the point about just how tense this film is, I was 15 minutes into Thor before my pulse stopped racing. It's like being strapped to a roller coaster. In space,)
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