MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS: SEASON ONE
Starring: Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, Elisa Lasowski, Kurt Russell, and Wyatt Russell
Creators: Chris Black and Matt Fraction
ADRIANO
I'm not going to pretend that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters doesn't have a nice nostalgic feel to it, but overall, it's rather underwhelming. When the show brings the monster mayhem, it's hard not to have fun; however, those moments are rare in comparison to the human elements, which would be fine if that aspect was compelling, but I found myself largely disconnected, aside from the spectacle of having Kurt and Wyatt Russell on screen together. I can't say it wasn't fully worthwhile because I got some enjoyment, but Monarch isn't special on any level.
CALEB
As a Godzilla fan, I went into Monarch: Legacy of Monsters with fairly realistic hopes. I figured I’d see the big guy for around a minute or two per episode, but even with those tempered expectations, the show still managed to underdeliver. Godzilla probably has less than ten minutes of screen time throughout the series. I’d be okay with that if the human story were interesting, but in typical Monsterverse fashion, it’s not. It’s as dumb as Godzilla vs Kong (2021), but without any of the fun. With annoying characters, terrible dialogue, and barely any monsters, Monarch has almost nothing to offer.
QUENTIN
I understand that media about large monsters inherently comes with a bit of silliness and suspension of disbelief, but by the final episode, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters really pushes the bounds of incredulousness. I mean, the finale is titled “Beyond Logic,” which…yep. And, man, is it dumb. All that aside, this is also another Godzilla project that seems to think people want to watch human family drama and not kaiju carnage, not to mention that it’s creating lore for probably the least interesting part of the Monsterverse. Family Russell seems to be having fun, though, and the monsters are cool when they actually show up.
