First trailer for THE MONUMENTS MEN

(photo courtesy of USA Today)

George Clooney stars in and directs The Monuments Men adaptation

The WWII-centered film adaptation of The Monuments Men now has a trailer. Watch a handful of “I’m too old for this” types as they’re sent to secure masterpieces of artistic and architectural integrity from the closing hands of the Nazis. While early critics of the trailer are disappointed with the tone and musical choice, the film looks to be more of a quirky comedic entry than a grit-your-teeth-and-hold-on kind of war movie. That said, with Clooney behind the camera, and the caliber of actors under his direction, we should be in for an enjoyable film regardless of what the trailer reveals.

Watch the first trailer for The Monuments Men after the jump.

The Monuments Men was adapted from the book by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter, and the movie version stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Kate Blanchett, and Bob Balaban. It’s set to hit theaters on December 18th.

Here’s an official synopsis of the film:

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action-thriller focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners.  It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys – seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 – possibly hope to succeed?  But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements.