Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Final trailer released gets critics fired up

Fans have been given their last glimpse of Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword before it hits the big screen.

Ritchie has put aside crime films such as Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to retell the classic tale of the monarch who led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders.

Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) stars as Arthur while Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes) plays his treacherous uncle Vortigern. Former footballer David Beckham also makes a cameo as a disgruntled knight.

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It begins with Arthur as a boy in the back streets of Londinium, unaware of his royal lineage until he pulls the sword Excalibur from a stone.

Once confronted by the sword's power, Arthur joins a mysterious young woman named Guinevere to fight against the tyrant Vortigern, who has stolen his birthright.

The new trailer reveals Ritchie's energetic, Game of Thrones-style take on the legend, complete with giant elephants, dragons, swordplay and even a Led Zeppelin track (Babe I'm Gonna Leave You).

It also delves deeper into young Arthur's gritty life as a street kid, with scenes of dingy alleyways and brawls, while Law tells his nephew about his true identity, although he seems unwilling to step aside to let the youngster take the crown.

Ethan Anderton on Slash Film says the trailer has "officially piqued my interest" after only having "a passing interest" in Ritchie's film.

It looks "like the fantasy action of Lord of the Rings mixed with the style of Sherlock Holmes with some Gladiator thrown in there for good measure", he writes, and Ritchie's flair makes this medieval tale "feel fresh".

AV club writes that the trailer "looks bananas".

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is released in UK cinemas on 19 May.