Mystery Of The
Megaflood (Nova)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Documentary: B-
The Scablands in Washington State are so unique in
structure that speculation about how they got that way has gone on for
eons. Some scientists have considered
that perhaps that despite the separation and unusual patterns of the lands, a
great flood could have made the entire area possible. The result of the theories and research is shown in Mystery Of
The Megaflood, a new installment of the great PBS science series Nova
from WGBH Boston Video.
If evolution is not enough, maybe plate tectonics, erosion
and massive amounts of water are more than enough to build an argument about
whether the lands were actually created this way centuries ago. Slowly, precisely and in great detail, the
nearly hour-long program covers the large area in general to establish it, then
goes into deeper and deeper detail about how all the variations could have
happened. The result, especially after
al the effort, is a pretty convincing argument that what may be the biggest
flood known to man caused all of this.
You have to see it for yourself to really appreciate what it took to
establish this view, but that is what you can always expect from Nova.
The letterboxed 16 X 9/1.78 X 1 image is not bad, though
one wishes it was anamorphic. With that
said, it is newly shot and always interesting to watch with its models and
digital graphics showing how the scientists involved trace all their theories through. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no
surrounds, but is a recent recording with good fidelity. Extras are the usual WGBH weblink and
DVD-ROM printable educational materials, but that is all.
- Nicholas Sheffo
