Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a captivating TV show that creates a fresh perspective in the Godzilla franchise.
As an addition to the story of Godzilla (2014), the Apple TV+ series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, offers audiences a different look at the world where monsters roam the planet. One of the two storylines that are covered is about the founders of Monarch and the beginning of research about the monsters. The other storyline is after G-Day, which occurred in Godzilla (2014). It is about a Monarch member’s kids, who are trying to find him after he is presumed dead, but they believe he may still be alive.
The show explores the dynamics between humans and monsters, diving into themes of coexistence, family, and scientific complexity. The writing is captivating and imaginative, offering a fresh take on the story of Godzilla.
Monarch is an organization that believes that monsters are not just mindless creatures to be feared, but integral parts of Earth’s functions. They focus on studying the behavior and life of these creatures to understand them better and explore the way that they fit into the world.
The story of how Monarch came to be was not exactly what I had expected. As a long-time Godzilla enjoyer, I’d always wondered how Monarch came about. The show answered all my questions for me. It gave a detailed and lengthy background of how the three founders, Dr. Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto), Bill Randa (Anders Holm), and Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell), met and discovered evidence that proved monsters exist.
The characters in Monarch is one of its standout features. The protagonists in the second storyline, Cate Randa (Anna Sawaia), Kentaro Randa(Ren Watabe), and May (Kiersey Clemons), are all overall mostly likable and face genuine challenges that help them grow as characters. As Cate and Kentaro search for their father, Hiroshi Randa (Takehiro Hira), May comes along with them and they face many mental and physical challenges along their journey to the truth. Throughout the story, they change their mindsets and find the answers they are looking for. I find character development to be an important part of any TV show, so seeing these characters grow together improved my enjoyment as I got deeper into the series.
Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) is one of two characters that are portrayed in both storylines in the show. Overall, he is a likable old man, but he made some decisions later on that changed the way that I viewed him as a man of honor and science. At the end of the show, I still was fond of Lee, but there were extremely fast, emotional twists involving with him.
The visual effects in Monarch are nothing short of spectacular. The monsters are brought to life with incredible detail and realism, creating a terrifying reality for the characters. The attention to detail, when it came to the visuals, was superb and enhanced the overall watching experience. I was hooked from the first episode to the last.
The pacing of the series is well-executed, creating a balance between intense action sequences and emotional moments. Within 10 episodes that were released week by week, I was entirely invested in this show and impatiently awaiting the release of the next episode. Each episode left me in suspense and had thought-provoking endings that kept me hooked and now awaiting a new season. The show’s ability to maintain a sense of mystery and intrigue me throughout each episode showed very skillful storytelling.
The cast delivered stellar performances, showing a new angle in the story of Godzilla and Monarch. The chemistry that was created between the characters helped me form an emotional attachment to them and root for them, and I still loved them despite their mistakes or bad calls. Standout performances from the lead actors created a new look into an iconic and well-known idea of Godzilla’s story, The acting ensured that viewers invest not only in the plot but also in the individual journeys of each character as well.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was a success in the Godzilla franchise. Its looks into the past and present, well-developed characters, visual effects, and extreme depth made it a must-watch for me and I feel would satisfy other Godzilla fans as well.
