Kurt Russell is a good modern day Indiana Jones. So far, the Godzilla series is sparing with monsters | Currently.cz

However, it took two and a half episodes of the series, which can be seen in the Apple TV+ video library, before the monster known as Godzilla appeared on the screens. The creators of the project, Chris Black and Matt Fraction, were inspired by this.

Glimpses of the rampage of prehistoric-looking monsters already appeared in previous episodes, but otherwise, the new effort, influenced by popular Japanese monsters, tries to build much more on human heroes than on the clashes of creatures of gargantuan proportions.

Since 1954, when Ishiro Honda filmed the first film, laconically titled Godzilla, spawned a series of sequels and many ways to approach the creatures that were originally created as a metaphor for nuclear danger. From serious and dramatic ones to B-movies full of bizarre comedians.

The latest American reboot of the series in 2014, directed by Gareth Edwards, established a perspective in which humans are somewhat subservient. The creators have exerted most of their efforts to depict the battles of the titans on scales that are not human. At least Edwards’ first Godzilla made up for the lack of stimulating human protagonists with opulent collisions of bodies that could reveal their monstrosity and inappropriateness. And thus offering, even in the guise of Hollywood entertainment, stimuli for reflection on what humanity is actually up against, to what extent these creatures can be viewed in the categories of good and evil.

The current series goes elsewhere. It oscillates between the events after the devastating attack in San Francisco and the distant past of the 1950s, when the Americans first faced an adversary against whom a nuclear explosion is not enough. The story focuses on what is the mysterious organization Monarch, which deals with matters surrounding radioactive monsters.

But before uncovering the wider webs of the plot, the heroes solve quite mundane problems. That is, if you can call it trauma, as young Cate experiences during the destruction of San Francisco.

Another shock comes when the protagonist discovers that she has a brother, as her father Hiroshi apparently led a double life – and not only as a researcher dealing with cryptozoology, that is, the science of searching for animals whose existence has not yet been confirmed by science.

Even before the central actors have time to settle sibling-family disputes, an action-packed journey awaits them by various means of transport. Behind their necks are sprouts from the Monarch organization and in front of their eyes is a monster with giant claws and freezing breath, which looks more like a Star Wars universe than the snowy corners of Earth.

From the first moments, you can feel that behind the series is the experienced comic screenwriter and holder of the most prestigious genre awards, Matt Fraction. Monarch: Legacy of the Monsters mixes an old-fashioned adventure with a gradual dive into the inner core of the heroes.

Seventy-two-year-old Kurt Russell appears as ex-soldier and current renegade Lee Shaw in the role of a witness to the old days when the whole monster hunt began. In this case too, the makers are taking their time before appearing on screen. But as soon as he lands in the middle of an icy wasteland with a roaring plane in the last broadcast of the fourth part, it is clear that the authors have bet on the right modern-day Indian Jones, even in retirement age.

The scene undoubtedly alludes to a famous horror film Thing from 1982, where Russell, in the role of a researcher, had to face another alien monster in Antarctica. However, the atmosphere is fundamentally different. Instead of the oppressive paranoia in every sense of the word of the frosty old movie, the light tone prevails in Monarch, however the creators can create tense moments.

After the first four episodes, the series feels like a smart, action-adventure spectacle that plays with the Godzilla world, and also hits various social and historical themes between the lines.

Sometimes the poke is directed at the account of gender stereotypes, for example when a doctor appears in the 1950s who is capable not only in her field, but also behind the wheel of an all-terrain vehicle. At other times, the filmmakers satirize the optics of the Americans as the masters of creation, when, for example, on the beach of Bikini Atoll, they seat them in deckchairs with binoculars to – almost like in a theater – watch Godzilla’s shelling through the binoculars.

For now, Monarch is looking for a way to borrow the most viable of the diverse approaches to the Godzilla genre of films that have come to be called kaiju eiga in Japan. For the time being, he spares the impressive scenes of their clashes, but rather shows that it is possible to create a strong, sometimes light-hearted, sometimes thriller-intense atmosphere, without the giant lizards having to beat each other over the head with battleships and other objects of appropriate size, as is often the norm in the genre.