Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is fast approaching and the highly anticipated Apple TV+ just set an exciting new record for the MonsterVerse. The franchise, which has an awful lot of very passionate fans, has often faced something of a hard time from critics but bringing these massive monsters to the small screen is paying off.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the TV series has a score of 91% based on 33 reviews. As a result, it's become the fourth of six MonsterVerse releases to receive all-important "Certified Fresh" status; Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Netflix's animated Skull Island both missed out. However, the latter would have been given that stamp of approval had more reviews been counted.
Still, with a whole 9% more than Skull Island, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is now this franchise's best-reviewed release!
Here's a closer look at how they all compare:
- Godzilla (2014) - 76%
- Kong: Skull Island (2015) - 75%
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) - 42%
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) - 76%
- Skull Island Season 1 (2023) - 82%
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 (2023) - 91%
This is an impressive achievement, particularly as many fans questioned how wise it was to bring the MonsterVerse to streaming. It's unclear whether multiple seasons are planned - and how feasible that is given the expense of a CG-heavy series - but it thus far has all the makings of a hit.
"Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real," reads the synopsis, "'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch."
"Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army Officer Lee Shaw, taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows."
Based on the Monsterverse from Legendary, and starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski, this dramatic saga - spanning three generations - reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.
Developed by Chris Black (Severance) and Matt Fraction (Hawkeye), the first two episodes were helmed by WandaVision and Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premieres November 17 on Apple TV+.