‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ is a roaring good time
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ is a roaring good time
The series recaptures everything I liked best about 2014’s ‘Godzilla.’
When I first saw the 2014 release “Godzilla,” I was completely blown away. I remember going into the film expecting a good old-fashioned monster slugfest, complete with atomic firebreath and city-destroying delight.
Instead, the movie presented what the best “Godzilla” films have offered since the giant creature first rose from the sea: a cogent, well-delivered message about the power of nature and humanity’s ability to control it, or even harness it. Unfortunately, follow-up titles featuring the original kaiju have not lived up to the first film’s promise in that regard, but after starting it this week, I can report with immense satisfaction that the Apple TV series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” not only revives its legacy, it improves upon it.
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” takes viewers more deeply into the secretive organization known as Monarch. The show explores the origins of Monarch, its mission to gather more information about the monstrous creatures known as Titans that are awakening across the globe, and the dark secrets at its core. Those secrets come home for Cate, a traumatized survivor of Godzilla’s attack on San Francisco, when she learns that her family history is inexorably tied to Monarch.
The show does an excellent job of exposing viewers to the horrific human costs of Titan events. The ending of “Godzilla” showed the triumphant titular lizard stalking back into the ocean after defeating his monsters. But “Monarch” shows that, even though we were rooting for him, Godzilla left an undeniable wake of destruction and death behind him. Anna Sawai’s performance as Cate Randa is fantastic; she isn’t in awe of the Titans as the viewer is meant to be. She fears and resents them, and it’s not hard to see why after learning more about her experiences during the San Francisco incident.
The series leaps back and forth in time as it explores the humble roots of Monarch, as well as Cate and her assembled family’s attempts to learn its secrets. To add connective tissue to these transitions, the show taps father-son acting duo Kurt and Wyatt Russell to play the old and young versions of Lee Shaw, a former army officer who became involved with Monarch in its early days.
What I love most about “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” is that it continues the cerebral approach to these giant creatures taken by “Godzilla.” The franchise’s caretakers opted to take theatrical releases featuring the character in a different direction, leaning into the monster-on-monster mayhem in movies like “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” That’s not to say that such movies have no value; on the contrary, they’re usually a rip-snorting good time. But after having my preconceptions challenged by the 2014 film, I was eager for more along those lines, and got less as more movies were released.
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” forces viewers to confront the reality of living with such amazing and dangerous creatures. The show reminds its audience that, even with the amount of control we have been able to assume over nature, humanity is still incredibly fragile. The show has two seasons’ worth of episodes available to stream on Apple TV now.
Apple TV
Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) is a subscription video streaming service for $14.99 per month, offering a growing slate of original series, films, documentaries, and specials. Unlike other platforms that combine licensed titles with originals, Apple TV is built entirely around exclusive programming, making it the home of critically acclaimed hits such as “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” Its lineup continues to expand with award-winning dramas, comedies, family-friendly shows, and blockbuster original films like “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.