The Reel Rejects - MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS EPISODE 1 REACTION!! Godzilla | Kong | 1x1 Breakdown & Review

Episode Date: November 17, 2023

THE MONSTERVERSE EXPANDS! Monarch Episode 1 Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis, & Spoiler Review for the Apple TV Series that features Godzilla, King Kong, MUTO, & MORE Monsters & Kaiju to come tying into King Of The Monsters, Godzilla Vs Kong, & Kong Skull Island. The series stars Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, John Goodman, Anna Sawaii, Ren Watabe, Aners Holm, Kiersey Clemons, & MORE. This comes right before Godzilla Minus One & maybe lends theories to Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire! #Monarch #Godzilla #Kong #KingKong #GodzillaVsKong #Monster #MonsterVerse #Kaiju Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Aparrel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hi, I'm Trisha. your friend and jeweler at Shane Company, where we're all about you, your style, your budget, your dream engagement ring. Are you looking for a style that's classic, modern, vintage, or something in between? Not sure? At Shane Company, we're here to help. We have so much style under one roof because a friend knows you like options. Drop by or visit us at shanko.com. Shane Company, your friend and jeweler. what is happening there citizens of the reject nation it is time for us to watch i've never seen

an apple tv show have you i've seen a little ted lasso whatever in my life oh we are watching monarch because we are entering the monster first i'm so excited ladies and gentlemen breathe fire into that like button also i'm putting john and andrew i'm watching shin godzilla so excited so excited it's a good movie so i hope that you guys enjoy hopefully we get that out by next week subscribe clear the notification bell because we are going to be of course covering the rest of this series thank you to prepper for helping to set it down these highlights as always fooling through at your watch longs re-s sync up with your own copy of monarch that is available for our super sex to rejects over at

our patreon page cover several things exclusively over there with highlights and watch longs included but with this being the first episode it is made public for everyone so there's a link in the description box if you want to do the watch along experience to see what that's all about. Anywho, let's get into no action, people. See how good this show actually is. This voice got so screechy. Yeah. God. Indiana, let it go. Take a photo! Oh, damn.

I mean, we got to see how that photo came to be. How'd she have a kid? I know. She must have... I'll say, I forget at the beginning of the start. They say they had a kid? you know what I mean remember they're talking about the kid thing yes in the car her and Anders or whatever yes they have a kid on the way

they have a kid on the way yeah yeah yeah because that's gonna be dad yeah yeah so they have so this is I think the kid's on the way right there's a kid somewhere it's gonna be her dad oh my god so there's like muto blood in them that runs through their veins

there's got to be something like that I think now's the time to hyper theorize yes and be massively disappointed by what the outcome is yeah yeah If she doesn't have some, well, I mean, you know, the lore clearly sets up for the ability to telepathically commune with the creatures. And maybe this is where that's coming from, yeah. There's some hollow earth juju right there.

I'm excited. I like it. I love how this episode was like, just get Kong and Godzilla out of the way. For everyone is wondering, are they going to make a cameo? Just get it out of the way. We'll let you speculate on anyone else, but these two, it's coming right out of it. Yeah. Yeah. Let's rewind that dialogue back really quick.

Cool. Before we, uh, yeah, I want to make sure. I want to make sure. Okay. She's right here. They go to Kazakhstan. They're talking about Borat and she's going to have the son who's going to be the Borat's, the origin of this is the origin of this. Oh, yeah.

Okay. He's complaining. comedy there's comedy happening right now that's good review yeah i i just don't want to really drinking in the environment yeah he's got kansas city hat old-timey hat hey this time i always commentary you know you guys we're doing this backseat commentary we're just making up shit yes fill the time here we here this content i could just jump cut past this but we're not doing this is the real we're going to discover this a real Wilton.

Oh, man. So many, so much radiation. We clearly were around back too far. Too far. Hopefully they cut away from this into the future. I never plan on having kids anyway. Uh-oh. Never.

That's right, because we thought they were flirting with each other. But he lost out to Anders. Right. Oh, he met the right woman, but it's your woman. make it look easy uh-huh raised a great raise a great kid

kids already born yeah so we're raising a great kids already that made the most sense yeah and thus anything we else have to say about this episode we were allowed to take out of yes we could have gotten very out of hand here and rewatching that scene they clearly

had sexual tension they did why Russell and the mom oh yeah do you think that's really his kid you think that's what we're going to discover you think we're really going to discover okay so she got white blood in her yeah she got white man's blood yes

they're going to discover yeah that that that I mean they already do because he's if he's the dad well either way I mean our two characters in the present have a shared white granddaddy exactly yeah when it's but I think we're going to find out why

Russell because it seems like this show first some reason is dealing so much with legacy, lineage, family, family, dramas. And monarch is really like an evil family. It's like the godfather of the gods of the world. Yeah, it's a family business. You're going to have to take over. Weird hierarchy. And that's why why Russell's acting the way that he's acting is so cantankerous

because he's begrudgingly, you know, kind of keeping this business alive when really he just wants to go off and do other things. right right and but i i think i'm right about that that they have sexual tension i'm a romantic tension i feel that's probably really his kid huh i i could absolutely see that yeah he looks after her like it's yeah and the way they they especially trade that line about like there was a time when you wanted there was a time or whatever whatever he says back like that's directly about having a kid so you know it seems like interpersonal family drama is such a thing about this.

I mean, it kind of started off that way with the 2014 one, in a way. Yeah. About like, dad. Dad, you weren't there. You're so absorbed. You're Godzilla work. You weren't there for us. It was awkward growing up in Japan as a child as a white kid.

Which I appreciate it. Yeah. But as terms of the first episode, I thought it was a really solid start. I thought it was really solid. Something like this can easily get bogged down and Easter eggs, which I'm sure there's probably some that we missed. Easter eggs and world building and oh my God, they referenced the thing I know,

which is another form of Easter eggs. And this just decided to keep it more in its mood and its overall aura and its characters. And I think every actor here is pretty great. Not the biggest fan so far of the performance, you know, always give things time to let a season play out and see how the choices are really feeling. The sun, the, I feel like that's the only part of it where the writing and the, it's kind of going hand and hand with writing and performance. Yeah. It's like, is it just the writing or is it the performance?

Is it both, you know, is the actor just doing what he, that's the only part of it where I'm like, I'm not the biggest man of the way. the execution of him is going down the plot mechanic sure totally can accept that but this is very just one note I'm back and forth right now on the way

they're just orchestrating the whole half brother's sister lost dual family thing treats a pulse to it though John oh sure I mean like I like everything they're doing on paper and I mean it's funny like sitting watching this and thinking to myself

like oh you know some of the some of the dialogue or some of the, you know, character beats could feel a little less scripted in a comic book somewhere. It's about on par with the last two movies. But I bet I go off and think, well, it's about on par with the movies. And also, everyone loves to immediately kick in the door and be like, no one cares about humans in a Godzilla. But at the same time, we're doing a show. That's why I'm saying why I'd like to start, because the whole points are getting you to care about the humans.

yeah and I and I like everybody enough that I'm you know in I want to see where this goes and I hope it pulls me in further it's like I like everything that they're doing in terms of like building the world and the intrigue and all that stuff like that's all very enticing and neat and foreboding and atmospheric and I like the cast enough and I like what they're going for with the drama enough and now just as for my taste I'm hoping like oh maybe I hope later on some of this human drama feels a little more human rather than like good story intent you know like good choices but also you know i just want to feel the scenes breathe whereas it feels very much like stick to this sort of more comic book esk dialogue for these bits yeah yeah i'm not super connected to anyone yet um even the main character who is the daughter yeah like she's good like everyone like i said everyone's good but at this point I would still feel like well it's we weren't here for like almost an hour

I would like to feel like I really love one of these guys I want to really be bonded to somebody who's the one guy one person I'm really drawn to right now yeah and right now because even for like Godzilla I remember even the 2014 Godzilla movie I mean sure maybe because it's Brian

Crensen but I remember of him being so bumney died so early because he was so great Wow, and he's acting his ass off. And they are kind of giving our main girl like both the Aaron Taylor Johnson and Brian Cranston role in a way, you know what I mean? Of like the child of the scientist who knew more

and is now solving the rest of the mystery while also getting into the adventure themselves and was also on ground for a lot of this stuff. Yeah, it's like very much in the demeanor of the Aaron Taylor Johnson character, but you have a feeling she's going to be called to be some kind of greater, more involved presence because of her lineage and the fact that she's something of a chosen one in this story. And I am curious as to what, because like right now it is really building on like a mystery tone. And it is more just what mystery are they?

you're going to unpack like I like the tone and but the puzzle box that they are laying here for us to investigate like what what is it that we don't know already what is it going to be that isn't just like oh that we unleashed a new kaiju like we've got it we've got him pretty far into the Godzilla world with like hollow earth totally really getting to no monarch and all these things that yeah we are at a point now where I'm like we have to discovered quite a lot. Yeah. I'm not saying there's not something more to discover.

It is just right now with the questions they have posed or the thing that's like, hey, this door we're about to let you walk through. What is it going to be other than the family was involved with Mar-Arg? Well, yeah. It's who's Ken Watanabe's children? It's when it's Ken Watanabe going to show up and take credit for all the Japanese people. I was hoping he'd be the dad so he could see the kids and he could be. be like let them fight

yes let them fight for which of my families was legitimate yeah that would be the best bit of fan service imaginable but I don't want to make it's not where to complain it just it is just there has been a lot of hype around this show as like hey this is great and yeah I mean like

visually it just it looks like cinema you know it's very cinematically appealing from sound design uh visual effects and the visual effects are more than just big like they're on the quality of any of the movies yeah for the most part yeah there were some early moments where i was like i could catch like a green screen or whatever but i just really liked really have legs in frame today you do man they're like

super like my legs are really here yes yeah man sometimes they're just big old but they're really i'm really legged and thank god i lotion my knees anyway um because they're usually quite Ashie. Sure. Please talk. Well, that's good. Moistri.

Who that girl was. 100%. Uh, yeah. I mean, I feel like there's, where we are in the timeline makes me curious because we've seen enough of the past and enough of this present in 2014 and surrounding that, it makes you wonder what we could learn that monarch wouldn't already know, but we haven't seen so much of their mysterious, you know, backlock of information.

Uh, and who knows where we might. go toward the future with this. It's like, yeah, if you're looking ahead towards Godzilla versus Kong, we've already been to Hollow Earth. But I don't know. Yeah, I don't know really what kind of reveal I would want. And I think a big part of the satisfaction. Kiercy Clemens, she's Iris West. That's who that is. Oh my God. Yeah, it's Iris West. Yeah. And the Flash and all that, yeah. Definitely. Definitely. Well, and, you know, she got put back into Zack Snyder Justice League. Yeah, like, right now, I think it's enough that like, it doesn't have to be anything like crazy mind-blowing, although I do

like a good like conspiracy, cryptozoology kind of thing. So I feel like you can play with a lot there. And I think that, yeah, like the tone and the lived in quality of how they're portraying this post, you know, Titan world is pretty fun and engaging.

Yeah. And yeah, like, you know, the use. And I like how Godzilla even though Godzilla's like, I imagine I'm going to be in the show a lot, like the after effect. Like that's one of the things I find the most compelling about it is the civilian after effect and the trauma and just the way the world has really changed. Like we've seen in the movies where people are like fascinated by it and titans.

But we're really like the little attention of details like when they get on the plane and it's like, hey, it might be a link to the, you know, like human viruses carrying shit. Yeah, we got spray you down. We got spray down all the like warning signs, like how it's treated like it's a virus in a way. You know, I think. Yeah, or like there's something on us that they're attracted to. or whatever it is. And they're like seeing like the nuclear weapons or not nuclear weapons but like the missiles and stuff ready to launch at a moment's notice like we just got to prepare like there's just

a fear of Gojura permeating everywhere. And I really love that stuff a lot. Yeah, no. It's lots of love. It's well lived in and it and it complements the films that have come before it in fun and interesting ways. And I'm excited actually in like a nod pandery sort of east. end kind of way, just like the way it, because

I think the PTSD thing is a really solid device in this context, because it enhances the monster movie quality that these things have, and the trauma that Godzilla and the surrounding circumstance that begets Godzilla represents. So that's

like a neat device for something like this to kind of freshen it up and allow you to kind of half-Codzilla action wherever you want, but also in a way that makes some sense. And then, you know, when there's like present, very intentional kaiju stuff, I'm sure that's going to be cool.

Like the whole big daddy long leg spider bit with Randa at the beginning was super fun. Like there were a couple moments where I'm like, Dan Conner. Yes, of course. This is the real end of the Connors right here. But yeah, like it was enough

of like connective tissue to be satisfying that way but also, you know, allowing this to be its own thing enough. So it's like there's good enough room to improve on the drama that hopefully that'll clinch by the end. So I feel like the one thing I felt during this was like this could use maybe just like a tiny ounce

of that overlord energy where it's like this is still taking it seriously but I don't know like especially with the three scientists like I want a little bit more flavor on that. Like I'm excited to see that grow especially now that she's like falling into the pit like I think there's going to be some fun stuff ahead for that. Me too man. Overall yeah

I thought it was a really solid start. I'm definitely intrigued by what's happening and I'm kind of but admit it like you know it just the idea of the preconceived notion you know

that whenever like the monster stuff shows up there is that part of me it's like ooh finally yeah yeah every time it is like like I'm enjoying when I'm watching but it is like oh yes thank you well it's a more agreeable circumstance to be like okay I'm not going to expect

to see only Godzilla specifically and Kaiju generally all the time but when it happens yeah I'll be psyched. Because, yeah, you can't mess with the timeline, too. Because, like, in the timeline of this, Godzilla shows up and then Godzilla's, like, the times she's shown up are in the three movies, so you can't mess with that timeline. Yeah, 14 onward.

Yeah. But, you know, we can do tons of random, wacky shit on that island in the 7-1, Skull Island. Yeah, yeah. In the 70s, we want to. But I like the re-contextualization for what our main character is feeling, because by this point in the story you know it's like of Godzilla it's like he's kind of like an

anti-hero in our world yeah you know and then this brings it to that it's like an anti-hero or something or like civilians are kind of just caught in the middle of something that bigger that's happening you're either the benefactor of Godzilla's protection or you're standing directly

in the way yeah yeah yeah but he's not like gonna protect you and and or gee yeah they well the role of Emmerick one it was I don't know what the the specifics of lizards are like if you need to be a lady lizard to lay eggs I feel like they specified it

in one of the movies which one I mean unless we're getting real progressive I think King implies that Godzilla's a guy Zilla John please sure is the monster verse

Godzilla male female or other is the monster verse Godzilla female or male let's find out yes find out tune in next week we'll give you an answer never explicitly stated in the films

the Japanese ones yes yes yes yes yes um and then the 1999 he was pushing woke agendas yes of course yes yes some patterns of interpretive guts that'll be gender 1998 American Godzilla film and characters refer to as a she by a scientist yeah John really knows that one

I do I loved that movie as a kid. I've watched it since then. But yeah. Overall, I don't remember what we're talking about it. Yeah, we're going to end it now. It's pretty good. What did you guys think about it?

Leave your thoughts down below. Be sure to subscribe. Leave a like. And hey, let's send this with a shout out. Yes. What's going on, guys? So, you know, we're only so many days left in the month here. So we got a shout out two patrons for two of our patron of the day of shoutouts.

It's going to do it in one. But it's going to be qualitative. I'm going to choose today right now, John, to shout out David Yandy and Tyler Haig. Ooh, what a lovely soothing combination. I mean, they're both white men. And I feel like, you know, whiter the bider. Stick together. White guys stick together.

So first things first on the agenda, David Gandy. the camera we are shooting off of right now you have gifted us with this and it has been a treasure chest of discovery even the other day i was like john do we have a wide lens what do we knew for 4k so many lenses and john spent about an hour and a half just experimenting with all the lenses and then we ultimately deserve to us to go back to what we were using before yes this is definitely the one that's most compatible through all those lenses we learned even more about other lenses we did we did someday these will be in 4k all thanks to you but david you have opened our eyes up to many a things and beyond gifting us with stuff you have also expanded our horizon so thank you so much for being you and i hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving in

arizona easily the most festive state in the world absolutely uh tyler hague my guy i don't I think it sounds like it might be beating a dead horse here over me talking about how years ago you gifted me with a PS4, but I'm pretty sure my gaming days might have been done if it wasn't for you. If you had not gifted me that at a time where financial need was bad, and then having that allow me to continue on with easily one of my favorite escapist hobbies that I find kind of meditative rather meditative honestly i don't think i would still game if it weren't for you so thank you for allowing me to still have that uh what i find to be a necessary form of escapism

and for always being quite jovial with us regardless man uh even if we dip in and out of being able to have our long conversations and and just and i know i can be laid on messages but i really appreciate you dude so thank you thank you i sure john had a weirder thing in mind always something about david adopting tyler yeah yeah and then david would like connect his camera because he's a photographer right to all of tyler's screens and then tyler can like direct while david's his dp and then you guys start like a film career where you make these films out of all these action figures and stuff and then tyler can use his video game love to then add graphics and stuff like that maybe he learns how to do cg i so then all these little action figure

films can be like the fan films that we are so often you know desire but never receive because of the constraints of working with human actors you know these two could start a revolution all right and stop motion filmmaking that's all i'm saying okay you guys are great and creative and i love you both and i'm very soothed just thinking about the both see the thing is i think we would get them together and they would just like emit this sort of calming ohm you know Two chillest guys at the Patreon. And I feel like that's good. We can all use a little bit more of that.

Yes, we could. Thank you both very much. Stay sexy. Thanks for being here and we'll catch you next month.