Cinematic Point Of View

Monarch Legacy of Monsters. It seems like you either love it or hate it. In a nutshell, I can safely say there are better tv shows. That said, I don’t need every show to be an award winning production. Sometimes it’s nice to just relax with some simple characters in a world you enjoy and veg out.

I really liked the first couple of episodes quite a bit. There are plenty of things that annoyed me as the series progressed, but I’m not going to spend time on that here. This is a love site.

In the end though, the show won me over for multiple reasons.

First of all, it’s a Godzilla based television series. I’m on board regardless. Yes, please. The tie in to the 2014 Godzilla film was good and I appreciate the effort made to creating a version of the US with giant monsters as an every day reality. Shades of Pacific Rim.

Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt are two more reasons I was won over. As a lifelong fan of Russell, it was so good to see him on a weekly basis chewing it up in this Monarch world. In a brilliant move of casting, having his son Wyatt play him in the flashbacks was perfection. The two of them really anchored the show, in my opinion. All of the scenes taking place in the past were really enjoyable, too. I would have been fine if the whole thing had been set there.

The main reason I the show won me over was the opportunity to watch it with my 9 year old son. He looked forward to it every week. It reminded me of how I grew up, waiting a week for a new episode of my favorite tv show. To have the opportunity to watch a weekly Godzilla drama with my kid…there isn’t a price for that I wouldn’t pay.

He knew it wasn’t the best thing in the world but we had a blast. We’d crank up that awesome opening theme music. A running joke around our house when we’d see each other was “Have you seen Shaw? I’m looking for Shaw!” (Shaw was Kurt and Wyatt Russell’s character)

And that season finale. I loved it. There is a scene with Russell’s character that brought me to tears. And the end action was great, too. We were on the edge of our seats!

I am really hoping for a second season. If you are a fan of the American Godzilla films, then this puts a little more meat on its bones. It actually works at giving you a reason to care about Monarch.

I would be very happy if they put some of the flashback characters into the next Godzilla Versus Kong film in some way. Tie it all together.

I recommend the show for fans who aren’t overly critical and just want to live in the Monsterverse in some way. I, for one, am happy to be around to enjoy this Godzilla renaissance.