Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was an interesting ride, but I have to say, it didn’t fully live up to my expectations. The show dives deep into the human side of the MonsterVerse, focusing more on the people dealing with kaiju than the giant monsters themselves. There’s a lot of family drama, and while that can be engaging, it often felt like it slowed things down too much.
The real standout for me was Kurt and Wyatt Russell playing the same character, Lee Shaw, across different timelines. Their performances really brought something special to the show. It was fun seeing the father-son duo work together, and their scenes were definitely the highlight. Whenever they were on screen, the show felt alive. But outside of their storyline, I struggled to connect with some of the other characters, and the constant jumping between different time periods made it hard to stay invested at times.
Visually, the show is stunning. The kaiju scenes, especially toward the end, are really impressive for a TV series. The effects are top-notch, and the moments when Godzilla or other titans appear are jaw-dropping. But there’s just not enough of those moments. It takes a long time to get to the good stuff, and the early episodes drag with too much focus on the human drama, which is completely fine. It’s just their story wasn’t too engaging for me.
As someone who loves the MonsterVerse, I enjoyed the little Easter eggs and connections to the films, but I think the pacing could’ve been better. There’s a lot of setup and backstory, which is fine, but it often felt like the series was holding back on the real excitement. When the action finally kicks in during the last couple of episodes, it’s awesome, but getting there was a bit of a slow burn.
TSHC Score: 6/10
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a decent addition to the MonsterVerse, but it didn’t blow me away. If you’re a fan of the franchise, it may be worth a watch, especially for the Russell performances and a few kaiju moments, but just be prepared for a lot of slow, talky bits in between.
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