Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season two

The Monsterverse, which launched in 2014 with Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla, has proved a huge success with audiences, with five films to date grossing over $2.5 billion. It has covered everything from Kong on his native Skull Island in the 1970s to Godzilla and others battling it out in the present day. In 2023, the franchise expanded with a live-action spin-off, Monarch, which filled in some of the gaps between the films, particularly in the aftermath of Edwards’s film. The Apple TV+ series now returns for its second season. As with the first, it intercuts between the 1950s and 2010s, helping to flesh out the franchise and both its human characters and fearsome kaiju.

We pick up in the immediate aftermath of the first season in 2017, with Cate, her long lost Grandmother Keiko and May returning after journeying to the Hollow Earth. They arrive in Skull Island with Kong looming. The core focus of the first season was Godzilla in both timeframes as the 1950s crew led by Wyatt Russell’s younger Colonel Lee Shaw and his allies sought to prove his existence. Meanwhile, the 2014 search for Hiroshi Randa also frequently crossed paths with the king of the monsters in a world reeling after the events of his appearance in San Francisco. Kong is more of our initial focus here; once again, the use of the titans is never distracting, and when they appear, the effects are sublime, capturing them in all their glory.

While the movies in this series have proven to be financially successful, there have been criticisms of the depth of the human characters, who feel half-baked, with the main event being the showdowns between the giant creatures. That isn’t the case here; these characters feel vulnerable, with real lives and more meaningful interactions. This is one of the major benefits of a ten-episode series over a two-hour feature. The cast once again impresses with Anna Sawai (fresh off an Emmy win) anchoring things as Cate, still traumatised by close encounters with Godzilla. Keiko (Mari Yamamoto)is adjusting to the new world and her family; her experiences in the past are key to unpacking some of the current mysteries the group encounters.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters continues to be a thrilling addition to the Monsterverse that wonderfully fleshes out gaps in multiple periods, enriching the films. While globe-trotting and full of brilliantly staged kaiju set pieces, it never loses sight of what made the first season so strong: the character development and human focus.