This review was made possible by screeners of the first five episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters from Apple TV+. The series premieres its first two episodes on November 17. New episodes are released weekly on Fridays.
The year is 2014. The place is San Francisco. The day? G-Day. Godzilla rampages through the city— wrecking buildings, wreaking havoc, and rendering civilians helpless. In the midst of all the chaos is our protagonist, Cate (Anna Sawai). Not long after the events of G-Day, the discovery of a family secret plunges her into a world of mystery and monsters— and most importantly, an organization called Monarch.
Two Stories Means Twice As Good, Right?
As mentioned, Cate is the main protagonist—but on her quest for answers, she meets new friends, Kentaro (Ren Watabe) and May (Kiersey Clemons), whose search for answers align with hers. Cate’s personal arc is quite intriguing, and has a couple extra dimensions thrown in later on, while Kentaro’s is also. May has an air of mystery about her that makes you want to know more, but her arc is so drawn out with little progression that you’ll likely end up bored— or perhaps— annoyed with her. Of course we see San Francisco, as well as Tokyo, but there’s a plethora of other locales Cate and her friends are brought to on their journey. As ridiculous as it sounds, there’s maybe too many jumps in location, that feel sprinkled in just to shake the narrative up. It’s not just jumps in location… but also in time, with the B-plot.
Interspersed with Cate’s “present day” is a story set far in the past… two generations back. The main protagonist here is Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell)— an American solider who becomes involved in a hunt for mysterious scientific anomalies. Through the scientists he meets along the way, Bill (Anders Holm) and Keiko (Mari Yamamoto), you start to notice connections with Cate’s group in the present. But past that, this B-plot feels a bit… aimless after a couple episodes. There are some fascinating moments of discovery and spectacle, but it feels as though it doesn’t drive the overall narrative of the series well. On top of that, there’s all of the location hopping here as well, and these stories aren’t even always told in a linear way. The only thing keeping the two tales not entirely confusing is the sheer amount of title cards (It’s a lot). While it may still be possible for the narratives of Monarch to all come together in a magnificent way in the end, halfway through the series these choices feel purposeless.
Come For The Monsters, Stay For… The Humans
Time to get to the good part… the monsters! After all, the series is about their legacy. It’s in the name. Well… after watching, it’s hard for me to completely agree with that. We are faced with the impact Godzilla had on society in Japan and San Francisco, but the story is actually more driven by the legacy of humans… those involved with the creation and continuation of a secret organization called Monarch, to be exact. It’s a plot line that feels half-baked and all too slow— lacking in gravity or tension. And apart from the lives of a few people in the past B-plot, it’s hard to care. So, what does work amidst it? What little bit we do get of the monsters.
God is a Zilla
This is what you came for. Godzilla. He’s here! And I’ve gotta say, he’s never looked better. He may not be in Monarch for a long time, but he definitely brings a good time. We also see a few other generic monsters— half of which look awesome, and half whose VFX don’t entirely cut it. While the monsters aren’t the star of the show, and thus don’t have much screen-time, one thing the series does well is spread them throughout fairly evenly.
Here To Russell Some Feathers
There’s one other consistent part of this series worth praise— and he is the star of the show. Well… they are. Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell. Wyatt, of course, plays Lee Shaw in the past. But Lee Shaw is also a part in Cate’s journey in the present. So who better to cast in the role than Wyatt’s legendary dad? The father-son duo not only play to the strengths of their similar looks, but also their personalities. They both shine as the grumpy, skeptical armyman, delivering equal performances that are incredibly convincing. He also injects a bit of much-needed sarcastic humor into a series otherwise lacking.
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ – Final Thoughts
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters seems to fail at being about that— the legacy of monsters. The sweet morsels of monster-y goodness we do get are mostly incredible, but will leave you wanting more. Instead, we’re left to watch the legacy of humans, through an aimless time-jumping gimmick and a bland script. The first episode is fantastic, and there are several moments throughout the series with glimmers of narrative brilliance, but the series ultimately lacks tension, and thinks the answer to shaking things up always lies in traveling to a new location. Come for the monsters, stay for Kurt and Wyatt Russell.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premieres on Apple TV+ on November 17. Check out the trailer below.
