Svoboda | Graniru | BBC Russia | Golosameriki | Facebook
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (TV Series 2023– ) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
498 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
7/10
Monarch, then.
Marxen_198620 June 2024
The series is generally OK and worth watching.

It doesn't blow you away, but it can entertain you and as someone who follows the Warner Bros. MonsterVerse there was no way around it.

I would rate the series 7 out of 10 stars.

It is solid and can entertain.

It also answers one or two questions and, as with big franchises, it also raises many new ones.

The story is OK and the characters are run-of-the-mill to "OK".

What I consider to be a big problem is that this series is absolutely irrelevant in the canon and basically they didn't even need to create it in the first place.

You can tell that the series only exists to further develop the franchise and, even worse, that it basically has no impact on the story as a whole.

But at least it has Kurt Russell. ^^
29 out of 30 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Worth Watching
Supermanfan-1330 June 2024
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is every bit as good as I was hoping for. It takes place after the Godzilla movie that became out a few years ago. Monarch is the agency that researches and tracks other titan monsters such as Godzilla. The series follows several of those Monarch agents. It covers when monarch was originally formed in the 1950's and also after the last Godzilla movie in the 2010's. A-list actor Kurt Russell plays a monarch agent in tr my oday's world and his real life son Wyatt Russell plays a younger version of his character in the 1950's. Both Russell's are terrific. In fact, the entire cast is great. This series does exactly what it set out to do and that is expand this monster universe and make people excited for what comes next. I hope they do several seasons of this.
53 out of 57 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
I thought it was pretty good
Rob133116 June 2024
I've been looking forward to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ever since I first heard about it. Then I saw the trailer and my excitement grew even more. I can say without a doubt that this series did not disappoint. First of all, Kurt Russell is in this. That's reason enough to watch it alone. His son Wyatt also stars. But throw in Godzilla and other monsters and you have a hit. This series digs into the Monarch agency and their role in keeping these monsters under control. It also shows how everyday people are affected by these monsters being let loose on the world and the role it takes. It takes place in two different time frames, the 50's and today. It's gotten great reviews by both critics and fans as it currently has a 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
51 out of 55 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
No monsters, just annoying adults with teenager attitudes
ufgcgyuhv23 December 2023
I was super excited for this show but it has been a super disappointment (at 8th episode so far). Only the first episode was good, it all becomes downhill after that. Only Apple TV was still producing big budget sci-fi like Foundation and Silo. Now they are also going to invest less in big world building saga citing the failure of Monarch.

The characters in the present time are so immature especially the teacher from San Francisco who seems to be a teenager living in an adult body. She is such a turnoff with her attitude similar to teenagers. May is useless and the brother from Japan, while not annoying, is so weak and useless.

I really don't care about their family drama or each of their backstory. This is a show about MONSTERS !! Why are we spending 90% of an episode with character backstory and their feelings, especially when none of them are likeable ?? Where are the MONSTERS? Where is the story about their habitats, their backstory, how they have been hidden for thousands of years, what is common between them, where do they come from? These are the elements that make a fantasy sci-fi interesting, not the annoying, unlikeable teenager mindset adults and their story.

They could have just kept this story in the 1940-50s and gone full on Monsters backstory, some WWII and Cold War drama about how many world powers were vying for the power of the Monsters and culminates in how this set off an underground Cold War that was hidden from the rest of the world with Monarch. Subsequent seasons could be what happened in the 70s-80s and so on culminating in D-day. Then once they catch up to current time, new seasons could be in between storylines between blockbuster Godzilla and Kong movies. This Monster universe could be the Marvel universe of this decade. Why are these Hollywood companies these days ruining entertainment ? People just want to be entertained, why is that so hard to understand? And the ironic part is that they could make a ton of money doing that.
181 out of 225 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
I wish the show stayed with 1950s
sudarshs3 December 2023
I was really looking forward to this show from the get-go, and I decided to give it a fair shot by watching four episodes before jotting down my thoughts. The first couple of episodes? Pretty much what I was hoping for, but after that, it's been kind of a letdown.

The choice to cast Kurt and Wyatt Russel, an actual father-son duo, was a brilliant move. These two are knocking it out of the park! But, they're pretty much the only ones keeping things interesting. The other characters? They're just filling in the usual slots - the hacker/sleuth, the love interest, and the usual daddy issues.

With the big names behind this show, the folks who've brought us hits like 'Mad Men' and 'Severance', and penned blockbusters like 'Thor' and 'Iron Man', I was expecting something special. But, this show is just forgettable. It's not about the CGI or how the show looks - that stuff's all good. It's the way things play out on screen that just doesn't add up at times.

That said, what's keeping me interested is the story set in the 1950s. I hope the show brings more of that.
126 out of 153 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Had a lot more potential
Jithindurden18 March 2024
Even though I really liked the show, the good parts of the show was really good and deserved to be part of a much better show. Kurt and Wyatt Russel playing past and future versions of a character was really charming. But it was Mari Yamamoto who stole the show every time she appeared on screen, so much so that her appearance was what I was looking forward more like the occasional appearance of the monsters. But for all those good parts and the monster mayhem, there's so much things that are handled very badly. The human drama might not have been that bad when it was conceived but a lot of the situations were very forced and a lot of the dialogues were utter trash. The first three episodes were consistently of great quality and it was after that the quality dropped suddenly. Even though in totality, I thought it was good, it's a show that had great potential that ruined itself.
21 out of 23 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
It's interesting, but i have no idea who writes characters nowadays
haibane-tenshi1 December 2023
It seems that most TV show producers hired the same Gen Z or millenials than mainstream media did and they only know the mindset of california people who have no personality, suffer from some form of anxiety / depression and, more or less, have an insuferrable character.

I don't know what's going on, honestly. Soon we'll have lead characters with a comfort peacock and they'll complain for 20 minutes, on screen, to a starbucks employee because they are out of oat milk. I'm not an American, so I have never witnessed such things, but I can imagine.

The TV show is not bad in the way that the story is good, you learn more about what happened with the monsters and all, the filmography is decent, CGI okay-ish, the scenario ok, but it's kinda ruined by the lead character and the ones around her. It might be because most gen Z actors, besides a few exceptions, seem completely interchangeable, to the point that you could switch one between two episodes, and you wouldn't even notice. It feels like today's acting is like what Kpop is to music or what McDonalds is to food. It's bland, uninspired, unimaginative, and totally forgettable.

It's too bad, because it could be a 10/10 TV show, especially since Apple TV produced a masterpiece like For All Mankind and very good TV shows like Foundation, Silo and severance (all have actual actors as main characters tho) and also because some TV shows starring only Gen Zs are absolute bomb, like the outer banks (pure gold), or even the wilds and yellowjackets (where only a couple characters are annyoing on a total of 20ish).

It's time that millenials / Gen Z TV show writers / employees realize that the vast majority of the world's population doesn't need a therapy animal, doesn't have 10 type of anxieties, isn't unsure of who they are and doesn't have daddy issues.

For that, it would be a good thing to start producing stuff outside of California, so that Netflix, Apple and Amazon aren't an echo chamber of a minority of the population. Kudos to Netflix and Amazon tho for releasing stuff produced in a lot of countries (india, S. Korea, France, Brazil, Spain, etc...), where you can find many quality TV shows with actual decent & likeable characters that you can relate to.
252 out of 325 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Not enough monsters, too many annoying dialogues, all over editing
surfisfun1 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Update: episode 8. Where is the thrill, the action, the monster fights.... overstretching 4 episodes to 8 , the writing and execution is simply uninspired and need a vitamin boost and testosterones therapy.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Truly excited as i was raise on the original Godzilla movies, This series is all over the place editing multiple timelines jumps from 50s to now. I find since a couple of years that to be used too often, leading to over complicate the story in a bad way and removing a linear sense of exposition to a story. It can be ok if use efficiently, here it isnt.

The cast in modern time is annoying, poor script.

The biggest problem is the lack of monsters scenes . I feel it was because of budget restrains as it would require more wider scenes with many effects and consequence in the world , as with sets and number of actors.

The overall idea seems good but the execution is not. Very disappointing.

Just finished episode 4 and will update when series is done.
373 out of 463 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
Monstrous series
SamuSixx20 April 2024
For being the first TV series about Monster-Verse, it's not bad at all. The series features 10 episodes that personally speaking most of these are very smooth enough to even get to see 3-4 episodes in a row a day, these episodes tell the story with continuous flashbacks very well balanced and above all in the right timing and right. Nothing to say about the CGI that about the monsters is almost perfect while it was not quite well cared for on some faces but being a TV series you can not expect the same quality as a movie. The soundtracks are cute and above all the intro is majestic in my opinion so much to be impressed in my head for days. The story itself is very interesting and with very nice and some even unexpected plot fixes, I don't want to talk about it too much to avoid spoilers but I can assure you that it will keep you glued to the screen long enough to even realize it. I highly recommend the vision (especially to fans of the genre) as I didn't even expect to find myself faced with a similar surprise with a similar quality.
28 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Good show but with a lot of wasted potential
ankitaugustus19 July 2024
Binge watched the show today and found it underwhelming compared to the movies that legendary has made since Godzilla(2014). The show has potential and I hope they utilize it better in the next season.

The scenes with Keiko, Shaw and Bill Randa are the ones that make the show worth watching . Everyone else just felt like dragging the show. The CGI wherever used is top notch and the screen presence of Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell made it 7 out of 10 else if would have been around 5.5.

Apple has confirmed that it has been renewed for another season atleast, hope they bring Kurt and Wyatt back for it.
15 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
When does something happen?
JoeyCeee9 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
4 episodes and its a dull slog. Unlikable characters. Why do I care about any of these people, they either whine, snark, or sneer. The women are horrid and the men (man?) is weak. Maybe there's a character arcs that are coming... but not holding my breath.

Episodes 3 and 4 could've been 15 minutes long and then add some real meat and storytelling.

I don't care if they find what they're looking for or they even show monsters. It's too boring. I may make pipe cleaner statues to fill any long boring nights rather than watch this stuff any more.

And they wasted Kurt Russell, how can you do that?

Addendum: Just finished episode 8, is that it? Cliff hanger that leads into maybe 2nd season?

Lowering my rating from 5 to 3. NOTHING HAPPENED! The series may have been helped by 1 story line. I guess the kids finding dad, but that was a story line just to get the ball rolling.
262 out of 327 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
I would subscribe to Apple in order to watch the show's next season
outrunkid14 April 2024
Rather surprisingly, I liked this. I'm not really a television watcher but I had a free trial of Apple TV Plus and I've watched the MonsterVerse films so thought I'd give it a go.

I was pleasantly surprised. I found the story engaging, interesting and it didn't outstay it's welcome. Ten episodes felt the right length. I have seen other TV where storylines and characters just drag out for far too long a time and it becomes frustrating and annoying as a result - not here. I genuinely enjoyed the story and perhaps most importantly, the characters. They all felt developed and had interesting arcs.

My favourite episode was probably the series finale - I won't go into details due to spoilers but I was moved by a certain scene and felt it was a cathartic conclusion for these particular characters.

Other points of note - great CGI. This was high-end movie level CGI which really surprised me. I've seen recent blockbusters not look as good as this series. I also enjoyed how the series didn't shy away from using a great amount of subtitled Japanese - I think many series would have opted for badly accented English but here they embrace it and good on them.

I would look forward to a return and would possibly become a paying subscriber to Apple in order to watch the show's next season. I consider that very good praise.
28 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Characters are annoying
haloyeha18 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Look, the main trio in present day 2015 are insufferably annoying. Especially May. The 50s character trio was much MUCH better and gave a backstory to John Goodman's character from KSI, and was much more entertaining and they weren't being annoying brats all the time. Kurt/Wyatt Russell also made up for that too.

Plus the lack of monsters' screentime. No, not just Godzilla's, I'm talking about EVERY MONSTER. While this is a Monarch show and not necessarily a Godzilla based show, it is still called "Legacy of Monsters", more like "Legacy of melodrama". Also the weird ass romantic hints between Cate and May that came out of ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE, Cate's gayness was put in to gain more viewers. Genius marketing tactic by Legendary...
19 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
A Great Show Excluding One Horrible Factor
damianphelps4 May 2024
This is great.....BUT.

The show is divided in to 2 parts, the origins of Monarch and then what Monarch has become (or contemorary time). BUT WAIT...there is more. The third and final division. Every crappy, boring and irritating moment of the show belongs in the May division.

The May character is one of the most annoying on screen inclusions of all time, worse than Jar Jar Binks!

Everything I dislike about the show is connect to May.

This means if you feel the same as me you will mostly dislike the middle episodes of the series.

SO...perservere. The series starts and finishes strongly, it is totally worth it, just read a book for the middle section :)
25 out of 29 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Dumb and pretty
HoldMyPopcorn27 March 2024
This is a great series to watch if you're stuck on a plane with nothing else to do. It filmed better than most of the generic blockbusters but it has the writing of a CW show.

On the acting side, I am a diehard Kurt Russell fan, however, Wyatt steals every scene he's in and was the sole standout of the show. Joe Tippett, Anders Holm, Anna Sawai, and Mari Yamamoto are able to lift their thinly written characters, and Kiersey Clemons is serviceable in a role where her character sucks. However, Ren Watabe is a standout for all the wrong reasons. His wooden delivery behind a nonsense annoying character really took me out of any scene.

With all that said, it's worth watching if you like spinoff streamers that have more dialogue and less action than their movie counterparts, and it's worth watching Kurt and Wyatt Russell play the same character.
14 out of 16 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
It's not good
beschuitfluiter6 December 2023
The characters are just so damn unlikable and annoying. The plot and script is very cringe.

The CGI monsters are badly comped, messy and uninspired.

But the worst part is that you just don't care about wth is going on because the characters are just so damn annoying and stupid.

Of course the usual rating brigade of bought shills already boosted this series so I'm afraid a lot of time has been lost on this countless piece of rubbish trying to capitalize on intellectual property of the past

I don't know what is going on with Hollywood and entertainment industry but they keep on pushing this reboot rubbish...

Not recommend.
352 out of 462 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Absolutely love this series, except...
jswypkgx24 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Absolutely love this series, except the young characters. I don't know if they are the consequence of poor writing, but all of their acting, tone and whiny delivery was cringe.

I'd have preferred if they just stayed in the 50s and 60s with young Wyatt Russell, instead of what I am assuming are the years leading up to Ghidora's awakening - post 'G-Day' as they're now calling it.

And the monster close ups, as well as the intermittent scenes with Godzilla from the people's pov, reminiscent of Gareth Edwards horror take, but with a lighter take. This was all, in my opinion, what I craved the most. Silent surprise and mystery.

Looking forward to season 2!
30 out of 38 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Daddy issues: King of Mehsters
Sithplayer31 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
So let me start by saying I love and enjoy the flashbacks of the Big 3 original Monarch members, Old Shaw and Monarch current day. Those are interesting and fun. The biggest negative is the godawful main 3 that were forced to watch. Kentaro is the only character that is even watchable and the only rational-ish one. May is sneaky and underhanded but yet gets forgiven even after pulling some BS on the group and constantly wanting to go home. Cate is an annoying and just idiotic person who is proven to be a liar and cheater and then forgives the person who nearly destroyed the group just like that cause she's in love with her. The choices the kids make are just beyond stupid and irrational and if it was just Kentaro or if the other two were actually likable would be better than what we have. I was expecting it to be more in the past and the first discovery but we only get snippets. At the time of writing this there's 2 episodes left and it's renewed for a S2 but I hope they just cut out the 3 protags and focus somewhere else.
21 out of 26 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
Unlikeable characters doing dumb things
doctordbx3 December 2023
This show is full of unlikeable characters that disengage their brain. The only likeable character was Du Ho.

Otherwise it's girl bosses and girls getting it done in true Mary Sue fashion while a bunch of guys are there for muscle when needed. This applies to both the good team and the bad team.

Is it possible to write female characters these days without making them girl bosses?

Probably not.

Cate is completely unlikeable and acts like this whole adventure was something unfairly inflicted on her. May the same.

The two guys trying their best to rescue the show... And the dynamic female duo... Are doing their best but they can't rescue either.

Jumping off this at episode 4. It won't get better. The ingredients are not here. There is nobody to root for. Except maybe Godzilla... If he ever makes more than a split second appearance.
350 out of 466 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
A Pleasant Surprise
stan-benda9 March 2024
I was expecting some sort of cheesy series, the main course being the monsters, and the side plate being some half naked woman. Nope. This is more in the vein of my childhood memories of Ray Harryhausen movies (e.g. First Men in the Moon, Mysterious Island). By the way there is also healthy dollop of the Journey to the Centre of the Earth, with Pat Boone and James Mason.

The monsters are the spice in this series. They add some zest or heat.

There is a good plot, with tensions and twists, and human insights and more than a pinch of conspiracy and jealousy.

I chanced the series because Kurt Russell starred in it. He is well used in the series, but he doesn't take over the move. If anything his son Wyatt Russell carries the load along with Mari Yamamoto.
36 out of 48 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Why so boring?
dranastasiamaga22 December 2023
It's supposed to be a show about monsters! If for some unfathomable reason it gets renewed for the second season, please remove all the boring stuff and add more monsters! Nobody watches a show about Kaijus for the personal drama. Unnecessary flashbacks into the unnecessary drama aspect. Monarch backstory might be interesting if not for the romantic line, please drop it.

Keep Kurt Russel, he's a cool grandpa.

I'm giving it 6 only for some glimpses of monsters here and there.

I like to hope the show continues, but improves over this boring and dragging piece it is now. The makers of the show can do much better, they made the trailer, way to go, folks!
13 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Stop the Subplots
strickland-amelia30 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Let me say that first, I grew up on Godzilla at the Saturday and summer matinees when in elementary school. Still a gigantic fan. Currently on episode seven, and there are too many subplots around the character May/Corah. I understand the need for some especially with Shaw and Monatch, but it is getting ridiculous.

Loved seeing Godzilla. Have loved the titan as the "baddie"" of old and the "hero" of current. Need more titans less subversive material Please.

The effects and the filmography are first rate. I don even mind the timeline shifts, of which there are many. The actors in each role do believable job for the character as written; however, the role of some are becoming tedious.

I want more seasons.
17 out of 21 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
After 10 episodes (revised down)
highwingremnants22 November 2023
I have completely rewritten what was a largely positive review after 3 episodes. I don't think I've ever seen such wild oscillations of quality in a TV show: minute-to-minute swings up and down. It's like watching the shadows on the wall of a fight between a good writer and the terrible one.

The quality is more consistent towards the front of Season 1, and hits a low point in Episode 5 from which the series never really recovers. The faults become glaring when the series stops looking at the 50s era and stares too long at the 21st century period. Until then, the shifts in attention provide a regular refreshment of the atmosphere. You already know it in those earlier, better episodes but when the show stops focussing on Mari Yamamoto it becomes impossible to ignore: her performance carries this project, and the writers only have anything of interest to say about her role in the 50s. When the spotlight moves away from that, the weaknesses of everything else are on full display. The signs at the end of Season 1 are that "Monarch: LOTM" is done with discussing the past and will now be entirely in the present day, and that doesn't bode well for the show's future.

So it's a weird show. I continue to watch because I love giant monsters, and the series provides just enough flashes of quality to keep me engaged but I can pretend they're not testing my patience.
108 out of 158 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
I should have looked at cast
tomsennetqq28 January 2024
Bumped into this series by accident and started watching. I noticed an uncanny resemblance between Kurt Russell (who I knew) and the guy playing a young Kurt Russell. I thought at first, a brilliant casting direction and affiliated makeup. Finally got interested enough to look at cast to find it's Kurt Russell's son Wyatt. Still brilliant casting.

The show is well produced, the actors engaging. The time shifting provides two parallel stories to enjoy. However, the reason for noting all except Kurt Russel's son Wyatt is to meet their absurd minimal character review requirement. Overall a good series.
19 out of 24 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Whiney daddy issues and whimpism
ashleyobrien-1562212 March 2024
Is it that I am 54 ? And am too old to tolerate the kind of pathetic whiney crap that I'm not even sure people actually suffer from ? I mean, the characters, some of them, are so horribly lame and weak and seem to be incapable of acting anything like normal adults it forced me to just fast forward through some pieces, I have zero interest in seeing all the butt hurt emotions of these fundamentally unlikeable characters. May, the computer geek cum self destructive idiot is completely unlikeable, she rude, offensive, dishonest, an ugly person in all respects, how could anyone root for that ?.

The Russel's are both perfectly acceptable, I guess my beef is with most of the female characters but mostly the "weak" ones, so nauseating. Some of the story telling, the logic behind their actions is totally unrealistic and thus irritating, the little things like running around in a restricted zone with their flashlights still on after already narrowly avoiding capture, just stupid, or the stepping into an ice puddle or falling down a huge hole all these things that make the characters seem like utter morons certainly don't help, smarter story telling is required.
26 out of 34 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
An error has occured. Please try again.

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed