“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Season 2 key art.
Apple TV
The Godzilla and Kong series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell and Anna Sawai, is back with Season 2 on Friday. What are Rotten Tomatoes critics saying about the new episodes of the MonsterVerse series?
Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters Season 1 debuted on streaming on Apple TV on Nov. 17, 2023, and concluded after its 10-episode run on Jan. 12, 2024. Also consisting of 10 episodes, Season 2 begins streaming with Episode 1 on Friday, followed by a new episode every Friday through May 1.
The official summary for the series reads, “Season 1 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters tracks two siblings looking 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 (Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell). The first season takes place in the 1950s, as well as half a century later, when Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows.
“Season 2 will pick up with the fate of Monarch — and the world — hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe — all with the threat of a Titan event on the horizon.”
As of Friday, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 has earned an 80% “fresh” critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer based on 20 reviews. The RT Critics Consensus, audience summary and Popcornmeter score are still pending.
By contrast, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 earned an 86% “fresh” critics’ score based on 86 reviews.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Season 2?
Rendy Jones of RogerEbert.com is among the top critics on RT who gives Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 a “fresh” critic score.
Jones writes that the show “maintains the momentum of its predecessor, marking the best of the MonsterVerse TV series to date. But, like Godzilla’s atomic breath, it takes a while to charge up and deliver a powerful blast.”
Amber Dowling of the Globe and Mail also deems the new season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters “fresh,” writing in her review summary, “If you love Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and other kaiju monster flicks, but have yet to check out Apple’s modern take on the genre, now is the time to start.”
Hunter Ingram of AV Club also gives Monarch: Legacy of Monsters a “fresh” score, writing in his RT review summary, “Only when it finally hones in on its new monster does the season manage to tell a surprisingly emotional story that leans into the human-Titan connection at the core of the films.”
Steven Nguyen Scaife of Slant Magazine is the only top critic on RT so far to give the new season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters a “rotten” score, writing, “Season two is even more mired in soapy family squabbles and love triangles than the first.”
Steven Nguyen Scaife of Slant Magazine is the only top critic on RT so far to give the new season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters a “rotten” score, writing, “Season two is even more mired in soapy family squabbles and love triangles than the first.”
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 also stars Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Joe Tippett and Anders Holm. The lineup of guest stars for Season 2 includes Takehiro Hira, Amber Midthunder, Curtiss Cook, Cliff Curtis, Dominique Tipper and Camilo Jiménez Varón.
All episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 and Episode 1 of Season 2 are streaming on Apple TV.