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Monarch: A Legacy of Monsters

In the four episodes of MONARCH: A LEGACY OF MONSTERS that have been released in the time that this article has gone to print, it has gambled on that premise that the story around the terrifying titans are just as important as the monsters themselves.

Sure, there is always the threat that a dragon will burst through the Earth or Godzilla will emerge from the ocean, but how their existence impacts humanity and what harnessing their power could mean is the main focus.

The MonsterVerse has been a largely satisfying journey thus far. With the exception of the third entry, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS which was a dark (literally), muddled mess, the universe has boasted bombastic blockbuster fun in GODZILLA, KONG: SKULL ISLAND, and the “could have been a disaster and thankfully wasn’t,” GODZILLA VS. KONG. The Monarch organization was a major factor in each one of these films, serving as a shadowy group who knew of the existence of the mighty monsters but kept it under wraps. Their motives were murky, and their methods questionable. They have been an essential part of the universe, but, especially on the big screen, Kong, Godzilla, and their pals were always going to be the stars.

MONARCH: A LEGACY OF MONSTERS takes place in two different eras. One is the modern world in which Cate (Anna Sawai) is not only dealing with the loss of her father, but also the traumatic aftermath and survivor’s guilt from her experience in San Francisco at the hands of Godzilla. Though apprehensive to engage in any type of travel, she heads to Japan to settle her father’s affairs. With little to go on other than a set of keys, she enters an apartment with a key on the ring, only to find that another family lives there. To her dismay, she discovers that her dear old dad had a wife and son she never knew about. For Cate, the traumas keep on coming.

There is no sibling love between the newfound bro (Ren Watabe) and sis, and yet they go to their father’s office to see if they can find any clues as to his fate. They discover a safe within the wall. It is stamped with Monarch insignia, and we recognize this as the bag that John Goodman threw into the ocean during the opening scene of the series. What are the odds?!

As all of this is occurring, we also get a glimpse at the kids’ grandmother, scientist Dr. Miura (Mari Yamamato) as she, along with Bill Randa (Anders Holm) and Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell) not only discover that there are titans on Earth, but form Monarch to study them further. Of course the government has other ideas on what the monsters represent and a battle of wits and wills begins.

MONARCH: A LEGACY OF MONSTERS is interesting in the way it utilizes their monsters. Obviously, they are going to make an appearance in every episode, but in the episodes that have been released, they don’t exactly get a ton of screen time. Their moments are impactful, but oddly enough, aren’t the highlight of the show. It’s obvious that the production budget isn’t exactly lacking, but at the same time, the effects can’t really compare to what you saw in the previous films. The seamless quality of GODZILLA VS. KONG is missing, and you can tell that you’re watching an effect as opposed to buying into the belief that the monsters are real. Having said that, hasn’t that always been the case in regard to Godzilla? We’ve come a long way since rubber suits and zippers, and the effects are good enough where the viewer remains engaged. In the end, though, I found myself more interested in the story of Monarch than the titans themselves. That has to be music to the ears of those involved with the production, because there will be those who, at least initially, only tune in to see the terrifying titans. But, combining conspiracies with the constant threat of imminent monster mayhem, there is enough here to keep each episode moving briskly along.

The other fun element of MONARCH is casting real life father/son duo Wyatt and Kurt Russell as the same character. Playing Shaw in different decades, it’s great to see the two working together without actually sharing a scene. They both bring a magnetism that fills the gaps between the carnage-fueled action sequences, and serve as the anchors that the other characters and performers revolve around.