Courtesy of Apple TV+
The first season of the show, born from the collaboration between Apple TV+ and Legendary Television, had opted for the interesting choice of bringing the “Titans” of the Godzilla/King Kong universe into the streaming format. An interesting, perhaps even innovative idea, which played rather well with the expectations of serial viewers, succeeding in particular with the storytelling set in two different timelines. The result, even if sometimes uneven in its narrative pace, made Monarch: Legacy of Monsters a series worth watching and enjoying.
The second season follows the same guidelines without really offering anything new, perhaps relying a little too much on what has been previously developed and offered. In these new episodes, we end up witnessing a certain imbalance between the two time frames, with the past proving to be much better organized and emotionally more effective than the “present.” The moments in which we, as viewers, participate in the conflicts that develop between the characters and their human relationships are much more numerous when the three protagonists are on stage in the 1950s. This is also because the chemistry between Mari Yamamoto (Rental Family) and an increasingly charismatic Wyatt Russell (Thunderbolts) becomes the emotional backbone of the entire show.
In contrast, in the other setting, the relationships between the characters are more complicated, their moral dilemmas sometimes difficult to understand, if not incomprehensible, and this certainly does not help a cast of actors who almost never really manage to make an impact, including an iconic performer such as Kurt Russell (Escape from New York), who in this show is not used to his full potential. This lack of emotional depth limits the audience’s involvement in both the interpersonal relationships and the storylines involving the giant monsters that plague the planet.
And here we come to the second problem with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2: once it became impossible to exploit the anticipation of the unseen, the focus should probably have been on making the product more spectacular. This is not the case: in terms of action scenes, or even simple wonder experiencing the enormous size of the monsters, the various episodes are sparse, with few scenes and rather predictable special effects. It should also be remembered that we are in the universe that features Godzilla and King Kong as protagonists and rulers of the imagination: they are on screen far too little to satisfy their fans.
Courtesy of Apple TV+
Of course, there are other titanic creatures, but it’s not the same thing; they are not as iconic as the giant lizard and the monkey, there’s no question about that. Without them, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters too often reduces itself to a show with huge, devastating monsters that lack the legendary aura that keeps the fanbase hooked on the product. Compared to the first season, these new episodes of the show represent a half-step backward, not so much in terms of the overall quality of the product, but in the fact that it repeats the same formula without really adding anything new or even more effective.
We are faced with a second season that lacks grip, which takes refuge in special effects without much conviction, relying on the sight of giant animals and their destructive power to entertain. There are, of course, some highly spectacular sequences, but they are certainly not enough to dispel the suspicion that a lack of ideas and a ‘strong’ narrative thread have peeped out from behind the high-quality packaging. And then, it is worth repeating, we would like to see King Kong and Godzilla on screen much more than the other creatures which, even aesthetically, are closer to alien creatures, lacking the ‘earthly’ familiarity that the two legendary monsters have gained over decades and films.
Rate: C
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Here’s the trailer for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2