As the father of two boys who can get into spirited arguments about which is more likely to be real, the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, I personally found the investigations that comprise MonsterQuest to be not purely academic. What sets this series apart, aside from excellent and serious explorations of the scientific evidence for various creatures, is the superb history lesson each episode imparts about what has by now frequently become an almost mythological element to many of these backstories. Therefore, in the Sasquatch episode, we get a nifty history lesson going back to various Native American tribes, all of whom described a half-man, half-ape creature. The series then traces various reports of sightings and even interactions through the years. While the bulk of "eyewitness" accounts are frequently riveting and "real" seeming, the Sasquatch episode has one of the more patently ridiculous accounts, a taped interview with a man who claimed to have been abducted by a Sasquatch family, who kept him in their camp and used his snuff and tobacco. Luckily, this unlikely seeming recounting is one of the few in the series that has the strong aroma of fantasy. There are other perhaps less fake sounding accounts which nonetheless can be quite funny. When the episode on werewolves focuses only on Wisconsin, with an array of flannel-shirted natives all claiming to have seen the creatures after such events as fish-fries, it becomes absolutely comical after a while (and I can say this since my wife is from that state).

MonsterQuest spans the globe, uncovering a lot of information about creatures both well known (Bigfoot), achieving renown (giant squids and "Champ," the American Loch Ness monster that purportedly lives in Lake Champlain), and relatively unreported (Russia's killer apemen, various giant fish that need to be seen to be believed, and in an Indonesian version of Sasquatch, a half-man half-ape creature dubbed "The Real Hobbit"). What most impressed me about this series was its refusal to cop-out on actual detailed information, something that shows of this ilk regularly do in the final segment. I was almost ready to throw in the towel during the Sasquatch episode when some scientists got what they thought was a DNA sample, only to have it be "inhibited" by some unknown substance that defied testing. To MonsterQuest's credit, another scientist was able to isolate the inhibitor, complete the testing, and believes he has fairly cogent proof that some creature who differs from man by only one genome is out there somewhere.

The series typically segues back and forth between expert commentary, dramatizations (frequently with some very basic CGI), and the aforementioned eyewitness accounts. These first-hand interactions are frequently quite compelling, as in the "Champ" episode, where a nice middle-aged woman not only claims to have quite clearly seen the creature, she snapped a fairly convincing photograph that has yet to be debunked (as the very famous 1930s picture of "Nessie" was some time ago). In fact, the "scientific" explanation that this serpentine looking creature could be a partially submerged tree trunk is less convincing than the woman's own account.

MonsterQuest is a fun variation on the more didactic "real" history lessons that make up the bulk of the History Channel's programming. With just the right blend of the fantastic and the scientific, it may well help settle some arguments in your household about the existence of various "mythological" creatures.

The DVD

Video:
While the 1.78:1 image is crisp and clear, with excellent color, I once again have to ask why the History Channel does not anamorphically enhance these purported "widescreen" releases? Is it really that much more expensive?

Sound:
The standard stereo soundtrack really doesn't sport much separation to speak of, though there is some great use of thumping sound effects when various creatures are supposedly on the prowl or attacking. Dialogue, sound effects and underscore are all perfectly clear.

Extras:
There is a surprisingly visceral behind the scenes featurette which offers some extra footage, usually incorporating off-screen talent talking about interactions that are only referred to or partially depicted in various episodes. While a couple of these are repetitive (two of the Sasquatch/Bigfoot segments feature purported rock throwing by the title creatures), there's also the thrill of listening to a scuba diver's palpable excitement as they manage to capture a giant squid on camera.

Final Thoughts:
This is a very fun series indeed, with just enough of a scientific underpinning to give it a serious mien. Kids are most likely going to love the show (nothing gets too horribly scary for the younger tots), and adults will be fascinated by the depth of the analyses, which never sink to tabloid reporting levels. Recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet