Oscar-winning director Ron Howard brings new life to one of the greatest seafaring tales of time with his latest film “In the Heart of the Sea”. The film is based on the award-winning novel by Nathaniel Philbrick that looks at the dramatic true journey of the Essex that inspired Herman Melville’s literary classic “Moby Dick.”

The men aboard the Essex have one mission and one mission only: bringing whale oil back home to Nantucket, the epicenter of the whaling industry. They know that this journey can take them for years away from their families, but they also know that each barrel of oil they fill not only puts money in their pockets, but also brings them one step closer to home. But in the winter of 1820, their journey takes as dramatic turn as the New England whaling ship is assaulted by a whale of mammoth size and will. The whale is unrelenting, with an almost human sense of vengeance.  After the devastating attack, the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. This is when the true story of survival begins.

The movie stars Chris Hemsworth (“The Avengers,” “Rush”) as the vessel’s veteran first mate, Owen Chase; Benjamin Walker (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) as its inexperienced Captain, George Pollard, Tom Holland (“The Impossible”) as the young seaman Tom Nickerson, and Brendan Gleeson (“Edge of Tomorrow,” “Suffragette), as Nickerson, 30 years later. While the movie is filled with action, the focus is really each character’s story and the growth that takes place through their experiences. Howard does an amazing job of humanizing each character and making them multi-dimensional. His talent for bringing authenticity to the big screen draws you to each character’s story. You will watch these men take on the unthinkable, you will watch these men transform, and you will ultimately be moved by their stories which connect to our own sensibilities about who we are as people.

Be sure to watch the below trailer for a sneak peek of the film and see “In the Heart of the Sea” in theaters December 11. You don’t want to miss it.