Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
Did Monarch: Legacy of Monsters end up with that subtitle because of that ridiculous Monarch show on FOX that flamed out? If so, that’s a shame, but also it’s fine. It’s a limited series, and those often seen to have subtitles. The show debuted at the end of 2023, but I did not have Apple TV+ at the time. When I decided to subscribe for a month, I made Monarch one of my first watches.
I’ll be honest, I was mostly curious about Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell playing the same character at different ages. Monarch is set in the, ugh, MonsterVerse. Can I just call it the Godzilla and Kong Universe? GKU? The movies in that series have largely been fine. Godzilla was good. Kong: Skull Island was a period piece set in the 1970s, which I thought was interesting, even if the execution was only fitfully successful. Godzilla vs. Kong was goofy as hell in the way I wanted. I watched it on a treadmill and it kept me moving and engaged. Rebecca Hall said, “Kong bows to no one.” I figured Monarch would capture that vibe, at best.
Instead, Monarch is legitimately a good show. It is the highest-quality entity in the GKU thus far. That goes beyond Kurt and Wyatt both playing Lee Shaw, a military man present at the beginning of Monarch, the monster-hunting entity from the GKU. My working knowledge of the lore of the GKU is a B-, B at best, but I was able to largely follow along. There are several good characters, and performances, in Monarch, though. Shaw is a main character, but not the main character. The Randas, Cate and Kentaro, center the show.
I don’t want to spoil Monarch, so I don’t want to give much in the way of plot. Just know it flits through time, but in a way that is coherent and also not spoonfed to the audience. In time, they trust you to recognize what is when. They also trust you to accept characters can be complex, even flawed. Not every show these days is willing to do that. I came into Monarch figuring the best elements would be some bonkers monster fights, but the show is largely a character piece. Monster fights pop in here and there, but maybe owing to a TV budget, aren’t frequent, but also aren’t disregarded. If I have one particular beef, and this is in the GKU in general, it’s that other than Godzilla and Kong they gild the lily on every monster. Why is every boogen crazy looking? It’s all too Stranger Things. Not every monster needs to have Demogorgon vibes. You’re in the Godzilla Universe! Embrace it.
Hopefully Monarch remains a limited series. I don’t know if a second season is needed, especially since all the flashback stuff seems handled. It would be good to be able to recommend Monarch: Legacy of Monsters to people as a 10-episode experience. One that is well worth it, by the way.
