Warner Bros. has released a new In the Heart of the Sea trailer. Ron Howard’s new film follows the 1820 the whaleship Essex, which was rammed by an angry whale in the South Pacific.  Those who survived the attack drifted for more than 90 days in three small whaleboats during which many fell victim to disease, hunger and cannibalism.

This new trailer is relentless in its portrayal of the savagery of nature, both in the form of the weather far out to sea and in the whales bent on attacking the ships and their sailors. Equally relentless: the amount of 3D-fluffing in scenes of anchors flying toward the camera, rigging snapping violently, and whales rocketing out toward the audience. In the Heart of the Sea may have the look of a 19th century whaling ship and crew down, but make no mistake, this is a modern action thriller for modern audiences. (I will say that I'm most interested in watching the mental breakdown of the crew, moreso than the whale vs whaler action sequences.)

Check out the trailer below. The film opens December 11th, and stars Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, and Jordi Molla.

Here’s the official synopsis for In the Heart of the Sea:

In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.  The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick.  But that told only half the story.  “Heart of the Sea” reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive.  Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.