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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Apple TV+[Godzilla Series]

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
I actually loved the inclusion of the original recording of Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton and not the remake by Elvis.
 

Mattdaddy

Gold Member
Oh shit I had no idea this was out now. For some reason I was thinking this was like a year away.

Will watch tonight!!!
 

Represent.

Represent(ative) of bad opinions
First 2 episodes are interesting, but could use some more monsters. My god, critics fucking love to rave about monster shows without monsters.

One day a monster show will release and tell the story from the perspective of the military. Please.
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
First 2 episodes are interesting, but could use some more monsters. My god, critics fucking love to rave about monster shows without monsters.

One day a show monster show will release and tell the story from the perspective of the military. Please.
Be careful what you wish for :p

6GVJY8J.jpg
 

Hardensoul

Member
First 2 episodes are interesting, but could use some more monsters. My god, critics fucking love to rave about monster shows without monsters.

One day a monster show will release and tell the story from the perspective of the military. Please.
I’m ok with this not focusing on the monsters. I knew going in it’s about Monarch, it’s even in the title.

We have movies and animated shows(2 on Netflix) about the monsters currently.
 

AJUMP23

Member
On episode 3 just realized it has napoleon dynamite as a star. Also there is not enough monsters. To much investigation. I need more monsters. Where are my people in rubber suits?
 

dispensergoinup

Gold Member
My buddies and I have this as our current show to chill and watch together right now, so far so good! Some of the monster designs looks straight out of MH.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
I wish there was more focus on how to STOP the monsters, versus this extended discovery of what, holes to Hollow Earth? I admit I lose the backstory to this most recent G-man series at times but all these things are pre-existing species, not radioactive mutations caused by human efforts, right? So it seems to me the "mystery" is how to control (or survive) these things, not an extended "led by the nose" chase going to what the viewer already knows.

I want more Mechagodzilla, attempts to develop Ultraman type tech, alien influences behind the scenes, secret cult societies, shit like that. Not more family melodrama and Corp shit.
 
I have mixed opinions on this show. I enjoy the fleshing out of the Monsterverse (like introducing new kaijus and giving John Goodman's character a backstory) but the show itself feels kinda dumb. It reminds me of The Walking Dead, where logic is thrown out the window and things happen because they're 'cool' or suspenseful, like the end of episode 3 where they land EXACTLY where her father landed months before in the Alaskan wilderness... moments like that just feel like the showrunners think the audience are idiots. Granted, they're probably right to an extent, but eh...

At least the main character is easy on the eyes...
MV5BNzIxNjBjODItMDYwNi00MDNmLTg1MzEtNWI1NzZjMDZmOWUwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDgwMTUwMjQ@._V1_.jpg


Also it's cool to see the Russells playing the same character.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
I have mixed opinions on this show. I enjoy the fleshing out of the Monsterverse (like introducing new kaijus and giving John Goodman's character a backstory) but the show itself feels kinda dumb. It reminds me of The Walking Dead, where logic is thrown out the window and things happen because they're 'cool' or suspenseful, like the end of episode 3 where they land EXACTLY where her father landed months before in the Alaskan wilderness... moments like that just feel like the showrunners think the audience are idiots. Granted, they're probably right to an extent, but eh...

At least the main character is easy on the eyes...
MV5BNzIxNjBjODItMDYwNi00MDNmLTg1MzEtNWI1NzZjMDZmOWUwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDgwMTUwMjQ@._V1_.jpg


Also it's cool to see the Russells playing the same character.

I like both lead women (the grandma and the granddaughter) and the sidekick May. They cast some truly beautiful women.

I liked episode 3. It was really cool! Seeing Gojira and that new Naked Mole Rat looking Kaiju.
 
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Trilobit

Member
I just watched the first episode. This is a 5/10 show. The characters are so bland and lifeless that an oatmeal would have been more interesting to look at. No one is particularly likeable and the pilot does nothing to hook me. And I love monster movies and scifi.

Usually I give these kinds of shows several chances, but this one won't get any more time from me. I'll need to go watch some paint dry so that my pulse returns to a higher level.
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
I just watched the first episode. This is a 5/10 show. The characters are so bland and lifeless that an oatmeal would have been more interesting to look at. No one is particularly likeable and the pilot does nothing to hook me. And I love monster movies and scifi.

Usually I give these kinds of shows several chances, but this one won't get any more time from me. I'll need to go watch some paint dry so that my pulse returns to a higher level.
It's not a fast paced action show but there is some stuff going on, keep with it. I'm not sure why they structured a monster kaiju show like a "prestige tv" drama but it is what it is. You gotta sit through a fair amount of daddy issue crap to get to the "holy shit, there are monsters roaming the earth?!?!" stuff we actually care about.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
I just watched the first episode. This is a 5/10 show. The characters are so bland and lifeless that an oatmeal would have been more interesting to look at. No one is particularly likeable and the pilot does nothing to hook me. And I love monster movies and scifi.

Usually I give these kinds of shows several chances, but this one won't get any more time from me. I'll need to go watch some paint dry so that my pulse returns to a higher level.


The show isn't ABOUT the monsters, so to speak. It's about a mystery AND the history BEHIND Monarch. It gets better ... Especially 3 and 4!
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
The show isn't ABOUT the monsters, so to speak. It's about a mystery AND the history BEHIND Monarch. It gets better ... Especially 3 and 4!
See, that's kind of the problem. A GIANT LIZARD walks out and eats a nuke, then these guys just kinda shrug and get on with life.

The pace and structure of the show constantly robs itself of momentum and a sense of urgency. The writers think I give a crap about the two timing dad but really I just want these characters to just have a legit brainstorm session about where these things have been and how they came to be. When the main characters seem so disinterested its hard to maintain my own interest.

Still, Frost Shrew was pretty cool, poor cop guy was doing the EXACT SAME THING the previous pilot tried, with the same end result :(
 

FunkMiller

Member
Eh, not too bad so far. Wyatt and Kurt are really good value for money. Can we get Wyatt as Snake Plisken’s son at some point, please?

Obviously we all want to see more of the Big G, but I’m sure they’ll get there eventually.
 

LordOfChaos

Member
I have mixed opinions on this show. I enjoy the fleshing out of the Monsterverse (like introducing new kaijus and giving John Goodman's character a backstory) but the show itself feels kinda dumb. It reminds me of The Walking Dead, where logic is thrown out the window and things happen because they're 'cool' or suspenseful, like the end of episode 3 where they land EXACTLY where her father landed months before in the Alaskan wilderness... moments like that just feel like the showrunners think the audience are idiots. Granted, they're probably right to an extent, but eh...

At least the main character is easy on the eyes...
MV5BNzIxNjBjODItMDYwNi00MDNmLTg1MzEtNWI1NzZjMDZmOWUwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDgwMTUwMjQ@._V1_.jpg


Also it's cool to see the Russells playing the same character.

Half of another TV+ show, Invasion, is just "uhh...How about another close up of Mitsuki's face? Everyone loves Mitsuki's face!", seems to be a trend lol, and they're right it's the best part of Invasion.

Yamoto.jpg




Legacy of Monsters has promise, I agree with the calls for more monsters and less other stuff, but yeah the main character is also nice to look at. But being a TV show I bet the monster CGI is budget constrained so we only get a few minutes per episode.
 

near

Gold Member
The first two episodes are good. I love a series that handles time-line transitions really well, but I don't think this has done a very good job of it so far. Because we're moving between time periods so frequently, the brevity of each act doesn't allow me to fully invest in either timeline. I also don't care about the Monarch lore, it's just not that interesting. We need more kaiju scenes, or I'm going to be disappointed and bored with this.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Love how the 3rd episode showed the Godzilla in the pacific scene from the very first movie.
Yeah, that was a nice dovetail into the film series.

But that does mean Kurt Russell was in his late 20's/early 30's in the late 40's/50's? So he is really supposed to be 90+ years old? Not sure if that is gonna be a plot point or just a "yeah, we know, but look, IT'S KURT RUSSELL!" throwaway line to explain the timeline.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
After two episodes, I HATE the human element in this. Kurt Russell and his son are the best part but everyone else drags the show down.
It is apparently very difficult to craft a compelling human story around giant monsters running around.

I just can't figure out why. We have had COUNTLESS shows like Xfiles, Eureka, Supernatural, etc about an ensemble cast dealing with the strange. Kaiju aren't really that different but fuck me after DECADES of trying folks still can't realize that you need A a likable lead, B a coherent motivation for actions, C. some actual sense of awe and wonder about the events going on, D. science stuff, speculation, theories, this is the bread and butter of these types of shows for fans. No one gives a shit about some scientist with 2 families and that was a terrible hook for the show.

Still, I'm watching.
 

Billbofet

Member
I just finished episode four and I didn't care for it at all. Nothing much of anything happened and the characters are one-note streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetched out with the same one-dimensional issue(s).
I'll give it one more episode, but for a show about a monster agency, there's not much monstering happening.
Like, the reveal of a character being alive that was thought dead or missing, does anyone even think that is a surprise or revelation at all?!?! We need four episodes for this shit? I could tell this was the case six minutes into the first episode.
I wanna see what Godzilla thinks about all this. If not Godzilla, Rodan, or at the very least, Mothra.
 
First 3 episodes. I enjoy. Don’t have to show monsters that much. It bout monarch. Like the idea it kinda shows how different everything is changing cause of g day. But episode 4 and now 5. They sucked man. If 6th episode doesn’t turn out to be decent like the first 3. Imma just have to be done with the show.
 

LordOfChaos

Member
They really need to focus on the Titans more than the D-list love stories no one cares about.

I get the impression it only has the budget for like 4 seconds of Titan footage an episode and the human actors are very hit or miss, hopefully the titan action picks up towards the end of the seasons
 

Coconutt

Member
Couldn't help but laugh a little and cringe finding out the main character didn't want to move in with her girlfriend because she wouldn't be able to sleep around anymore. Please focus on the monsters more, the monster that absorbs heat was pretty cool, looked a lot like something you would see in Pacific Rim.
 
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DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
It's a mystery... About Monarch. I've actually wanted to know more about the Monarch organization and why they didn't try to figure out how to destroy some of these things or at least nullify their destructiveness. Slip in some new building codes all over the world for MUTOs who could cause severe destruction like Kong or Gojira. They didn't even TRY!

The show isn't called "Monsters Out the Wazoo" ... the focus is on Monarch and the legacy of the siblings since their grandparents are the ones responsible for Monarch existing til the present
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Couldn't help but laugh a little and cringe finding out the main character didn't want to move in with her girlfriend because she wouldn't be able to sleep around anymore. Please focus on the monsters more, the monster that absorbs heat was pretty cool, looked a lot like something you would see in Pacific Rim.
I feel like they had to male her a lesbian lest folks want to ship her with Kurt Russel who at 70 or whatever has more swagger than the rest of the cast cubed.
 

LordOfChaos

Member
Episode 5 was better than 4, at least it's more about the mystery of Monarch. The inserts with the horrible no good love stories, still can't remotely care about. I also find the best looker the worst actor lol.

Is this going to significantly tie into The New Empire?
 

AJUMP23

Member
Show needs to be about monsters. Instead it is just people running around saying nothing that matters. Barely any monsters in ep 5.

real snooze fest.
 
I started watching this. I'm a bit surprised this is an entry in the Legendary MonsterVerse franchise considering the films in the American Godzilla franchise are all about giant budget CGI monster mashing. There's hardly any monsters in this show, it's mainly about cute Asian girls pouting or something. The mystery surrounding Monarch would be more cool if there was more about Monarch and less about some people being mad about their father being absent and also secretly having 2 families at once or whatever.
 

Billbofet

Member
This show is a huge disappointment for me. At least make it campy or fun if it's not going to have the monsters vs. the boring, flat, angst defined characters. Kurt is great, but it's like he is in another show when put on screen with these other personality vacuums.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
They definitely need SOME sort of monsterish opponent if the kaiju are not in every episode. Monarch isn't really nefarious, after all EVERYONE knows about kaiju now and they are definitely a clear and present danger, so all the past intrigue stuff is kinda moot since we know where it is going. What this show needed was a Hollow Earth reptilian or insect mimic species masquerading as humans trying to sabotage Monarch from within, or an even more ominous extra-terrestrial threat. Whoever thought a few glimpses of Godzilla could carry a tepid family drama needs to be fired.
 

AJUMP23

Member
+
They definitely need SOME sort of monsterish opponent if the kaiju are not in every episode. Monarch isn't really nefarious, after all EVERYONE knows about kaiju now and they are definitely a clear and present danger, so all the past intrigue stuff is kinda moot since we know where it is going. What this show needed was a Hollow Earth reptilian or insect mimic species masquerading as humans trying to sabotage Monarch from within, or an even more ominous extra-terrestrial threat. Whoever thought a few glimpses of Godzilla could carry a tepid family drama needs to be fired.

Ep5 was so bad it was like check the boxes. Strong women, Dumb Police, Lesbians, Gay Pride. Monsters, not a one. The writers of this show should get an award for taking something fun and making it boring.


The show should be about monsters not about interpersonal relationships.
 
Watched all the episodes so far and was intrigued by the first few episodes. But as the show goes on you realize how lame the mystery and monarch itself kind of is...already preparing for a dumb payoff. The present day characters are especially cringe. I hope it gets better.

Maybe just been spoiled by Godzilla minus one
 

Shouta

Member
I actually like the characters in this through episode 4 and it works well with them but I think the problem is that there really isn't a mystery to Monarch at all. We kinda know what they're all about because of KOTM and GvK. So you kind of have to enjoy the journey the characters are on to enjoy this since it's a lot less about the monsters.

Since it's also a bigger cast and trying to jump between past and present, the individual characters aren't getting as much time or focus. They're pretty decent but the show is juggling way too many balls at once to make them standout.
 

Billbofet

Member
If the finale finally gets to some monster on monster action, I'll check out that one episode.
As others have said, the mystery behind Monarch is not really a mystery - it's like a history lesson, and while it's cool to see it intertwined with the movies, the agency itself isn't as mysterious as they seem to think.
Also, Monarch, stop branding all your shit. These dudes have Monarch logos on their jackets, weapons, vehicles, etc. If you're trying for a more clandestine agency, stop with all the branding!!!!
Like, if they end up turning evil and creating a supermonster like Mecha-Godzilla, you know they would put their damn logo on it (Monarch-zilla).
 
This show would be legit better if it was only set in the past and only was about the 3 past characters in the 1960's, following the same general retro milieu as Kong: Skull Island.

Every time I see the cringey present day 2015 characters I cringe. The 3 main 2015 characters can't act, their family drama is boring and stupid, and the only redeeming thing about the present day story is Kurt Russell who I bet they'll kill off before the show's end.

I pray this thing doesn't get a second season, or if it does, they just give up on the present day shit and only do the past. Monarch lore is pretty cool, present day teen drama angst is boring as shit and has nothing to do with the MonsterVerse.

I'm amazed that most of principal people in MonsterVerse are apparently supervising and advising on this show and none of them told them their show is boring and stupid and showing 6 seconds of Godzilla every now and then isn't enough to make it compelling. Especially egregious is the fact that Michael Dougherty, writer/director of KOTM 2019 and writer for GvK, is credited in the opening sequence and there isn't a single time he stopped the idiots making this show and asked them what the fuck is this and what the fuck are you doing??
 
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Episode 5 of this show is a perfect microcosm of how good this show COULD be but how shit it actually is, and also how shit Woke Hollywood is in general these days.

Do we actually need to give a fuck about this girl's sexual orientation? How could it possibly matter to someone who literally survived Godzilla's attack on San Francisco a year ago? Why is her being a lesbian being pushed in our faces while there's an actually really good story going on about exploring the ruins of SF, being chased by the military in a restricted zone that's in ruins, and searching for clues to the next story point?

It always feels like they almost have something good going on with this show and then they just fuck it up. This episode was almost good, except for the parts where it's total shit. Also I'm tired of seeing the same 6 seconds of Godzilla being shown over and over again in different ways. I get it, lesbian girl here has PTSD, but surely there is enough budget to maybe show different shots of Godzilla every now and then? Is this show in the MonsterVerse franchise and universe or not?

Also I'm laughing a bit that they literally brought this meme to life:



Well, you put a chick it and made her lame and gay. Now what, geniuses?
 
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Episode 6 is better than 5, but still has all the issues this series has. Lesbian chick is still lame, Kurt Russell (and Wyatt Russell) are still the best characters though Mari Yamamoto is great as Keiko, and Godzilla appears for about 6 seconds and does nothing just to blueball the viewer a bit because that's apparently his entire role in this show. At least it's 6 new seconds of Godzilla we haven't seen before.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the first Godzilla related TV show in the franchise's 70 year history without Godzilla in the show's name, and I can see why because viewers would riot and burn down Toho and Legendary HQ's if they actually thought this show was going to be about Godzilla.
 
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I don't know why this show frustrates me so much. It's a show about an organization that monitors giant monsters from the center of the Earth - I shouldn't take it so seriously, I should just shut my brain off and enjoy it.

But like I said in my previous post, it reminds me of The Walking Dead in the sense that there's a distinct lack of logic in every episode - things just happen for convenience and/or suspense, logic be damned. I'm sure most viewers just accepted that Monarch guy able to draw a perfectly scaled map of Earth on a wall based on nothing but pin holes, but moments like that just make me roll my eyes to the back of my head. Or how skinny French lady is able to knock out two armed guards in the back of an armored van... somehow? They didn't even try to film it because it's so illogical, they just added a taser sound in post even though she's not holding a taser at any point of that scene lol
 
Episode 7 is meme tier. This show is awe-inspiringly stupid. It's terrifyingly stupid. Every episode, I think this cannot get more stupid, but then the new episode airs and it tops the previous one in how stupid it is. I swear to God, this show's script was written by ChatGPT.

The AI that wrote this script clearly was fed the script for the vastly superior KOTM 2019 where the whole infiltrate Monarch from the inside for some nefarious goal was done way better and with human characters which didn't suck. And also actual kaijus. This is such an irredeemably bad show and I don't get it, they had all the opportunities in the world to make it good instead of suck.
 
I think that the characterisation of the modern day Randa siblings, and their sidekick is absolutely a killer for me. I hate this petulant attitude they throw on people these days, like shut up you insufferable, moaning plebs.

The modern story arc has just been so pointless so far, the characters really don't help, and if I see another contrived HeS nOt HeRe BuT HiS pEnCiL sHaViNgS aRe bit again, jesus.

The past arc is actually pretty cool and I would have loved to see the show focus on that in more depth. Kurt & Wyatt Russel playing the same character at different points in his life was pretty neat though.
 
Not to be a Godzilla otaku, but western Godzilla always misses the point.

Godzilla is a symbolism of nuclear war coupled with human negligence of nature....not (start spooky wind sfx) big secret government agency cover up conspiracy or "end of the world ,judgment on human relationship.

Ooooh GIF
 

AJUMP23

Member
This show was pretty bad. I watched the last episode and thought...."what a waste". Too many people and not enough Godzilla.
 
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