Godzilla

Okay, I watched this several days ago, and honestly didn't have much to say about it. I enjoyed it, but I found it pretty perfunctory. The most interesting aspect to me was the backstory of the 1950s nuclear tests secretly being attempts to kill Godzilla - fun worldbuilding!

The characters are pretty generic, buoyed by good performances from Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston, in particular. Ken Watanabe gets the instant classic "let them fight." Unfortunately, I didn't care much for Ford, or Aaron Taylor-Johnson's portrayal of him.

It was fine! I enjoyed it! But not a lot to chew on long-term.

Kong: Skull Island

This one, on the other hand, was a hoot. The movie has personality to spare, taking full advantage of its Vietnam-era setting, from the character archetypes in play to the musical choices. That setting also gives it a little more thematic weight, as the Americans showing up and bombing the crap out of Skull Island sets the film's events into motion.

Kudos to the filmmakers for daring to set a number of the action pieces in daylight - a confident move.

Both movies have a good thoroughline of the MUTOs being fairly amoral, not necessarily "good" or "evil." Between the two Hero Monsters, Kong comes off as smarter and more empathetic, while Godzilla is more of a force of nature.

My biggest complaint? It took me about 20 minutes to figure out why the movie looked so weird before I concluded that it must have been filmed with 3D in mind. I really hate that.

Kaiju incident = asteroid strike ?

That’s not quite what I expected from this article but it’s an intriguing read.

Always a great to see a piece endeavouring to put the science into science fiction for one of the major franchises.

For those who aren’t familiar with Wyatt Russell, who shares the decades-spanning legacy role of Colonel Lee Shaw with his father Kurt Russell in the Monsterverse, this interview is a good introduction.

His ambitions as a professional hockey player (goalie) took him to the European leagues. His more acting career started in indie films but is taking off quite spectacularly across multiple franchises.

With Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season two premiere tomorrow, February 27th, there has been a rush of reviews released.

Major entertainment media reviewers have seen 5 screeners out of the 10 episodes for the season while smaller outlets have just viewed the two episodes shown at the premiere last week.

So far, the media reviews have been generally positive, coming in at 80% on the Tomatometer.

This IGN review includes all the publicity stills released so far from season two.

So thinks this youtuber.

Titanbooks UK has been putting out some great fan resources for the franchises we discuss on StarTrek.website.

This new Monsterverse Manual, scheduled for UK release on June 30, 2026 has peaked my interest.

From the promotional page:

The Titans of the Monsterverse have conquered the big screen and now, with this deluxe guide, their mysteries are revealed in full. This Monarch manual is filled with artwork and information that uncovers the secrets of the Monarch organization: employees, technology, and the Titans themselves, including Godzilla, Kong, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and many more!

Screeners for two opening episodes for season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (aka M:LOM or MLOM) have been shared with reviewers. These presumably are the same episodes shown at last week’s Hollywood premiere.

As with other franchises, fansites have received screeners along with entertainment media. So far, there’s enthusiasm for faster paced action. Hopefully, they won’t lose season one’s great character beats in the process.

Here’s a listing so far — please be welcome to drop additional review links in the comments. Also, please feel welcome to share your views on which fan reviewers are good, bad, toxic etc. — most of them are unfamiliar to me.

• https://godzilla-movies.com/news/monarch-legacy-monsters-season-2-blows-season-1-out-the-water-literally

• https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/2098765-monarch-season-2-legacy-of-monsters-reactions-reviews

• https://youtu.be/nnt72pevuUk

• https://collider.com/monarch-legacy-of-monsters-season-2-apple-tv/

This Lifestyle Asia piece reports on M:LOG season two episode titles and release schedule among other details.

There have been reports that will be dropped on the premiere date Friday, February 27th, but this listing says not.

Episode 1, “Cause and Effect”: 27 February

Episode 2, “Resonance”: 6 March

Episode 3, “Secrets”: 13 March

Episode 4, “Trespass”: 20 March

Episode 5, “Furusato”: 27 March

Episode 6, “Requiem”: 3 April

Episode 7, “String Theory”: 10 April

Episode 8, “Separate Ways”: 17 April

Episode 9, “Ends of the Earth”: 24 April

Episode 10, “Where We Belong” (finale): 1 May

The season two premiere of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is happening!

Beyond the usual red carpet interviews and other promotional hype, an innovative 12 minute drone show, rising about 150 metres, accompanied with a score by the show’s composer Leopold Ross, wowed those on site.

Photos and video clips in the article.

I loved Godzilla the series as a kid. I've been meaning to give it a rewatch. Don't know if it will hold up, hopefully so.