The Reel Rejects - MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS S2 EP 1 REVIEW - KONG RETURNS WITH A BANG!

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Starting point is 00:01:35 So the first half we weren't huge fans up, but then it got better as it went. Definitely in moments. So, yeah, let's find out if this is an even more solid follow-up. Ready, John? I'm ready. I'm crossing my fingers. Let's venture on. All right. Well, one episode in.

Starting point is 00:01:55 I can also see how this could amount to a better season, though. I could. It seems like they're finding ways to weave in Godzilla and Kong in a way that'll be more fitting. Like, it seems, from what I'm gathering here, at least, with this creature on the loose, it is going to be something where they might need Kong or Godzilla to, like, step in and help out, like, how the movies go, you know? Maintain the order and the balance. Yeah. And also the, I love having, have you pronounce her name Kiko, Kiko? Keiko.

Starting point is 00:02:29 Keiko. Having her here, I think she brings so much presents. Yeah. I like her so much as a performer. And to bring her into the present day, I think gives a lot to it. The past stuff still seems strong. You kill off a main character or somewhat of a main character at the very beginning here in the first episode. There's stuff that they do to set us up for something that could be more integral.

Starting point is 00:02:55 Every time Kong was on screen and the amount of time they left Kong be throughout the episode, like it felt like in last season when Godzilla was there, it was like, only going to feel like it was one scene, you know? And I don't know if that's like a rights thing or a budget thing or whatever. I wonder. Legendary, like, co-produced this. Well, and I don't know the full extent of how CG assets work, but I know it, I believe that, like, if you're in the same universe and you're working with the same models over and over, like, you have those on hand to some degree and they're fleshed out to some degree in a way that you can continually use and build on. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:03:33 So it seems like, I mean, because of the movies, they have a pretty wide wealth of these assets built up. And now, you know, CG is way more accessible than it used to be. So, yeah, I'm curious as to, like, what degree of budgetary restriction there would be. Because I get how in a show like this, you probably couldn't spend the whole time just doing monster action. But at the same time, you know, I feel like you could probably get away with a little more. And this episode felt like it had a little more of that throughout. Exactly. That's why I feel like it might be stronger because they went out of their way to kind of separate. It's like this one, since we got so much set up in the last season, they're able to get right to it, you know?

Starting point is 00:04:15 Put your gas on, put your foot on the pedal right away. And we got so many more monsters this time around. So many more, like a bunch of variety of creatures. Some of it felt like familiar trope. But the second they went down there, they're like, oh, they're going to do a thing where the monster will be there and whatever. And yeah, like, it's the stuff. the past is still like pretty interesting when you're going to another village and uncovering like how they worship them all that kind of lore bill everything surrounding the monsters is when this episode i thought was at its best 100% you know and i feel like they're aware that's what work that's what people care the most about that's what showed up for here and that's what actually works yeah this is this is a world where you want to be just expanding the lore and dealing with mysteries yeah and yeah and seeing how many different creatures and yeah and seeing how many different creatures and and what different biomes exist.

Starting point is 00:05:04 Yeah. And so maybe the balance will weigh itself out a little bit more. It really is just like there's so much, there's so many characters, not like more than usual in a television show, when there's enough characters, though that feel like a lot that I don't feel like, I've seen sophomore seasons where I'm like,

Starting point is 00:05:29 well, these guys seem like they've improved their chemistry. They seem like they're better at, like, they're more, that their characters are more interesting now. They do some things to make them more interesting or the performances or the chemistry over the passage of time has allowed them as actors off, you know, maybe through the promotional tour or whatever, to bond more. And it just felt like, I did not come in with like an attitude of like, let's just get over this, you know.

Starting point is 00:05:54 I was really, I was really coming in optimistic here. And it's been a while. I'm excited to, yeah, give it a shot. And I can't say that I enjoy the main characters. That's the main problem, though, is I don't enjoy. I enjoy the past characters, and one of the characters from the past, they've now put in the present. And Kurt Russell is one of the coolest actors of all time. And to my understanding, a lot of these actors, especially, I forget the actor's name, she's on Shogun.

Starting point is 00:06:24 Oh, Anna, So I. Yeah, like, she's a great actor, but there's something about the direction and the right. that they give her here just never quite feels as like to put her on like show gum where she's like beloved and is it an beloved show and then for some reason her work doesn't translate as strong here it doesn't kind of feels like when i'm watching like natalie portman in episode one or something yeah it's weird like the character itself herself doesn't feel super defined like my i guess yeah it's like they have the familial connection we have all the history that we've gained here but like as an actual person I don't really get a sense for who this person is. And I feel like partly you have, like, in the past, you have archetypes. So you have Lee the soldier. You have Bill the, you know, eccentric science slash faith guy. And then you have Keiko who kind of ties them all together and who is like the truly expert scientist among them.

Starting point is 00:07:20 And all that kind of helps to add stuff that then the actors also then fill in the blanks with. Whereas like with Kate Cantaro and May, like I get that they're like. Like they've given us a bunch of circumstances more than they, I feel like, have given us any sort of like real meat or characterization. And they're always talking about the plot. Yeah. And so like this episode, like so much of the first half was spent with, you know, Kate talking to the various people. Like, we got to go back for Shaw and having this conversation with everybody. And I get that debate is part of story structure.

Starting point is 00:07:52 But yeah, I don't know. It just doesn't feel like, I feel like there should be an urgency and a ticking time clock when in technicality. Cality terms there is by nature of the fact that Shaw is stranded here and he might die. Yet I didn't feel that urgency. I didn't get the way the scenes are directed and ridden with our main characters. And specific reference to what you are talking about, I did not get this. Like that should be feeling so urgent and should feel like a debate that they're having with the people at Monarch.

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Starting point is 00:11:03 And then we have this mystery in the past and just everything else overtakes, yeah, the main core trio slash Hiroshi now. You know, and I don't know, like all the, it's like they've dumped a lot of details and circumstances on them, but it's all kind of boilerplatey stuff. And so like I don't get the sense

Starting point is 00:11:21 that there's like a life for these characters off screen or if we ever cut away from them that they would be doing anything other than waiting for the plot to resume. No. And it's like I like a number of those actors in individual moments individually. But yeah, like the actual

Starting point is 00:11:35 grouping of them, even going to the island here, felt oddly casual. Yeah. Yeah, they're watching the relationships doesn't feel strong. I don't even really buy her. Is it like, I don't even really believe that their father and daughter.

Starting point is 00:11:50 It's not really. And I feel like I'm watching actors in that scene. And like I like them. I actually liked the explanation the dad gave, you know, not that, I'm not saying I like it in terms of, I support his decision. Yes, have two families.

Starting point is 00:12:03 I'm saying, like, for the explanation he gave as a character that made a lot of sense to me of why he would do that. And there's a welcome nuance. Exactly. It was, it was,

Starting point is 00:12:14 no better way to put it, welcome nuance. So that was good. But, you know, if there's so much focus is going to be on like family drama, and May's

Starting point is 00:12:26 whatever future I think you go like you should have killed them off I don't care I want it's like I like Tirstie Clemens I like Tim and Kiko seen more than most of her seen

Starting point is 00:12:41 Tim has chemistry with everyone Tim's scene there was Kiko was good the scene in the past with Young Shaw and Kiko was really good when they were talking about the past they chose

Starting point is 00:12:54 and the lovers or whatever. That was a lot, the town had a good vibe to it. Like, this episode has a lot of, had a lot of good stuff. I don't want it to seem like we're only hung up on the,

Starting point is 00:13:05 the thing is that, I think the reason why we're emphasizing so much of what we're emphasizing is because those are the main characters. Well, and the show proves itself capable in other ways of filling in at least some of these gaps.

Starting point is 00:13:18 Like the first season in general, I remember not being like all that deeper or anything like that in terms of the drama. And that carries over here. Yet there's a lot of scenes given to it. Yeah, there's a lot of scenes given to it. It's not deep. They try to do it like, they try to capture by mood and feeling.

Starting point is 00:13:34 They try to create conflict, but they don't really give these characters a lot of POV. And I think especially with the main trio. I feel like it slows down to be a drama. It slows down to be a drama, but to not really get it to the heart of anything that's actually dramatic about the situations they're talking about. and it's, I had like kind of the perfect way to phrase this, and it eludes me a little bit now, but it's like the trio of them in the present, don't feel like anybody,

Starting point is 00:14:01 even the directors or whoever's, there doesn't feel like a solid vision as to who these people are supposed to be, and they all have that thing that kind of bogs down a lot of stuff in the modern time for me, where it's like, they're all just kind of focused on the main plot,

Starting point is 00:14:14 and they're burdened by purpose. Yeah. And it's like, I get the familial like dead at, the whole situation with the three of them. This triangle of family should be way, more permeating emotionally than it is. Yeah. Than it feels like.

Starting point is 00:14:29 It just feels kind of like another thing. And it feels like they somehow, in a situation that's full of like emotional stuff, have boiled it down to just the plot beats. Yep. I mean, they never talk beyond the plot. They never talk about themselves beyond the plot

Starting point is 00:14:47 and like the literal bullet points of the plot, not about the feelings. Hell, like, Kate's, a teacher and shit? What about the rest of her personality? I know it's not like the point, but you want to feel like the characters are alive and the characters in the past feel more alive than the characters and the characters in the past, to be fair to the show, the characters in the past

Starting point is 00:15:07 are also main characters. Yeah. You know, um, there's, it's easy to separate them out for yourself, you know? Yeah, because they always feel like flashback characters. Totally. They don't feel like the present day momentum characters. Yeah. They feel like characters or there's plot development and it's interesting and just visually wise it's always more

Starting point is 00:15:28 interesting too. Wherever they're going with them. It's always so much more interesting. Yeah. Like the should part of me is like good in a whole show just in the past like the beginning of Monarcher right then and there. A little bit. Give us the show over to Tim make the rest of these guys supporting

Starting point is 00:15:44 characters and check in once in a while but I mean overall it seems like it can improve and I feel like for a first episode of this. It's off to a good start. Yeah. It just needs,

Starting point is 00:15:58 we'll just see how, like, the rest progresses. At the end of the day, I wouldn't expect, like, such, the most dramatic shift from, from season one. Yeah. But this was fine.

Starting point is 00:16:09 At a time, Kong was on screen. It was really entertained. Anytime monsters were on screen, it was entertained. Pretty sick. You know, I just wish I emotionally, this show is one of its subgenres is a drama.

Starting point is 00:16:21 Literally says, right there. Yes. You have entered sci-fi drama. Like, it definitely is a drama. Definitely in that order.

Starting point is 00:16:28 It's not some, like, fun monster show. Like, it's a drama. Yes. It's not, so, yeah.

Starting point is 00:16:34 So write some real drama for your drama characters then. And some people connect with that, though. You know, I've been on, I saw on Rotten Tomatoes and I was looking up season one.

Starting point is 00:16:42 Like, some people really do connect with the drama. And they do. They do. And I, I mean, I know there are parts in season one

Starting point is 00:16:48 where we clicked with it. It had its moments, for sure. It makes the moments where it doesn't have its moments more frustrating when it has its moments, but it does have its moments. Yeah, yeah. But still a great-looking show visually. It's awesome. It's more than just, look how expensive it is.

Starting point is 00:17:03 It is actually one of the shows now that does feel like they took the time to compose scenes for the most part. And I appreciate that. It's got that eerie, you know, mysterious draw still. Definitely, definitely. But what do you guys think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. And we'll see you guys. Pieces.

The Reel Rejects - MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS S2 EP 1 REVIEW - KONG RETURNS WITH A BANG!

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