Godzilla is back in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. There isn’t a more intriguing monster in movie history than the Kaiju, better known among the English audience as Godzilla. The resurgence of the Monsterverse in 2014 with Godzilla signaled the exciting return of humans trying to stay alive with a gigantic, mutated monster terrorizing their town. While there have been a handful of movies in this franchise, it’s the Apple TV series spanning different decades about the secret organization documenting everything there is to know about Godzilla that’s caught everyone’s attention.
Some critics of the series would enjoy seeing the monster in each scene that a few episodes without it terrorizing random humans becomes boring. While Godzilla only appears in a few episodes, it doesn’t mean that the show isn’t amazing to watch. It has great writing, the characters are interesting to follow as they figure out their complicated relationships, and the twists will keep viewers guessing even after the series ends. So, there’s plenty that fans can dig into with ten episodes of the Moonsterverse. Here is why Monarch: Legacy of Monsters shows that the best direction for this franchise has been its turn to TV.
How Monarch: Legacy of Monsters fits into the Monsterverse
The Godzilla movies have been a part of pop culture since the introduction of Kaiju in the 1950s. Most of the significant films were from Japan, so when the 2014 American reboot of Godzilla came around, fans were hopeful that it would be a great start to reviving the franchise. This was after the failure of Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla in 1998. Since Gareth Edward’s successful reboot in 2014, plenty of films and spinoffs about the monster have entertained viewers for years. Continuing with 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, followed two years later by Godzilla: King of Monsters, which sets up 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. These movies were a welcome success for the franchise, showing executives that fans wanted more from this monster world, and that’s precisely what they are getting with another movie on the way, 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters fits right into the Monsterverse as it touches upon the events of G-day in 2014’s Godzilla. In Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Cate was on the bridge that day when Godzilla attacked the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, killing innocent people, including her students. This TV series might also lead into future movies, considering it’s been renewed for a second season. The possibilities with this show tying into the Monsterverse are endless, so why not get plenty of more seasons to enjoy?
Why TV Is a Better Move for the Godzilla Franchise
One of the highlights of watching a Godzilla movie is watching the monsters tear up towns and the human’s motivational journey to stop them. However, Apple TV+ is proving that maybe some more focus on the human characters who have to deal with these creatures could be interesting, too. While the show features some monsters here and there, the main story focuses on the people who were instrumental in forming the shadow organization Monarch, which researches monsters like Godzilla. After the events of 2015, half-siblings Cate (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro Randa, who grew up in different parts of the world, realize they share a father, Hiroshi, who has been tied to the organization Monarch. Now, they have to try to find their father and possibly stop any more Titans from hurting anyone. To Monarch, Godzilla is only one of many Titans that have existed among humans for the last half a century, and they kept this secret until the San Francisco attack on Godzilla.
A major advantage of the move to TV for the Monsterverse franchise is the scale. There are bigger monsters, more emotional stories that viewers can relate to, and the longer scenes allow for a more detailed story exploring the lore of the ‘Titans.’ What makes Monarch: Legacy of Monsters so good is it doesn’t waste too much time focusing on the endless movies in the Monsterverse, instead focusing on filling in the loopholes and telling Monarch’s story from a human perspective. They still touch on essential historical events that the Monarch has been privy to behind the scenes, so there are plenty of Easter eggs for viewers to look out for. Here is why Apple’s Monarch is the Godzilla Show fans needed.
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