Final Trailer Drops For Sam Mendes' First World War Movie 1917

The release of Sam Mendes' hotly-anticipated movie 1917 is almost upon us, and as if to whet our appetites, the final trailer has now landed. Check it out below:

With a cast including Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch, it's a stark look at the realities of war in the early 20th Century that's been compared to the likes of Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.

Set in northern France during the First World War, the film tells the story of two young British soldiers, named Schofield (played by George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman).

According to the synopsis, they're required to undertake "a seemingly impossible mission to deliver a message which will warn of an ambush during one of the skirmishes soon after the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line during Operation Alberich."

Universal Pictures

It continues: "The two recruits race against time, crossing enemy territory to deliver the warning and keep a British battalion of 1,600 men, which includes Blake's own brother, from walking into a deadly trap.

"The pair must give their all to accomplish their mission by surviving the war to end all wars."

In addition to Cumberbatch, Firth, MacKay and Chapman, the film boasts a strong cast, including Mark Strong (Kingsman and Sherlock Holmes), Andrew Scott (Fleabag) and Richard Madden (Bodyguard and Game of Thrones).

Of course, director/writer/producer Mendes is no slouch himself, having previously won a total of nine Academy Awards, 10 BAFTAs and five Golden Globes for films like American Beauty, Revolutionary Road and James Bond flick Spectre. Unsurprisingly, critics have been impressed by his latest effort too.

Universal Pictures

AwardsCircuit 's Clayton Davis posted on Twitter: "1917 is the best war film since Saving Private Ryan. The cinematography of the year. The cinematography of the decade. Thomas Newman's orchestral masterpiece. Sam Mendes' gift to cinema... and his family. Every ounce is powerful."

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw wrote: "This phantasmagoric first world war nightmare from the British director is ambitious and unshakeable storytelling. Sam Mendes's 1917 is an amazingly audacious film; as exciting as a heist movie, disturbing as a sci-fi nightmare."

Meanwhile Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly said: "Legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men, Fargo, Blade Runner 2049) effectively drops the viewer in the centre of the story and compels them to stay there, fully immersed in every muddy step, hunger pang, and rifle click."

1917 is released on 25 December in the US, before hitting UK cinemas on 10 January.

Topics: TV and Film

Will Fitzpatrick

Will Fitzpatrick is a Subeditor at LADbible. Will graduated from the University of Liverpool with a BA in English Language and Literature, and has previously worked as music editor at The Skinny North. He has written for a variety of publications including Clash, The Fly, The Line of Best Fit and Razorcake.