‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ reviews: ‘Riveting’ series features ‘impressive’ VFX, ‘compelling’ stories
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https://www.goldderby.com/article/2023/monarch-legacy-of-monsters-review-round-up/
In 2014’s “Godzilla,” San Francisco endures unparalleled destruction. That damage and its aftermath figures heavily in the new Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” which picks up after the events of the film and tells a sprawling tale about the title monster — and many others — in a story that spans decades. The series focuses predominantly on two timelines in the 1950s and 2010s and is kicked off by Anna Sawai’s Cate as she ventures from the ravaged San Francisco to Tokyo, a trip that leads her into the history of the Monarch organization. The series premieres on Nov. 17.
Critics have been impressed by this “grandly ambitious” series. As of this writing, it has a 90% freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes, with their critical consensus reading, “With performances by father-son duo Kurt and Wyatt Russell that work a charm, ‘Monarch’ adds a welcome wrinkle to the Godzilla legacy by honing its monstrous scope to a very human level.”
SEE ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ roundtable: Wait to show fans has been ‘excruciating, exciting, weird and surreal’
Reviewers were effusive with their praise for the level of artistry behind “Monarch,” spotlighting the show’s “eye-popping,” “astonishing,” and “impressive special effects,” as well as its “unusual and terrifying-looking titans.” The cast has received kudos, too, with critics applauding Sawai, who “absolutely shines,” Anders Holm, who is “the liveliest of the bunch,” as well as the “excellent” Ren Watabe and Kiersey Clemons. The central pairing of father-and-son Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell — who both play the character of Lee Shaw at different points in his life in the show’s two story arcs — has been especially commended, with both stars “predictably great” in a “brilliant” and “ingenious bit of casting.” Overall, the series earned strong notices for being “grounded,” “riveting,” and for its “high-level filmmaking.”
[5 review snips]