LAS VEGAS (AP) — A propeller stops mid-air. Soldiers packed like sardines on a pier cower in fear of an unseen threat.

Those are the images Christopher Nolan left CinemaCon audiences hanging onto Wednesday as he premiered new footage from "Dunkirk," his long-awaited epic about the storied World War II evacuation.

Nolan told the audience of theater owners that he wanted to tell the story in the most visceral way possible, putting audiences on the beaches, in the air and running with the troops.

The "Interstellar" and "Dark Knight" director shot the film entirely on large format celluloid and said theaters are the only way to experience the suspenseful survival story.

The film's large eclectic ensemble cast includes veterans, pop star Harry Styles and a few newcomers.

It arrives in theaters on July 21.