Monday, March 24, 2008

DESTINATION TRUTH - Wildman & Swamp Dinosaur

SciFi Channel - Original Air Date: 3/19/08

Another fun adventure with Josh and co.  This time, they're off to the wilds of Cambodia to search for a wildman, and then to the swamps of Zambia to search for the legendary Mokele-Mbembe -- a dinosaur-like creature feared by the native fishermen.  The Cambodian investigation consists of talking to people who claim to have seen the creature, and investigating a girl who was supposedly kidnapped by the "beast."  The girl, who is mute, had allegedly been taken from her parents 18 years earlier.  Her dad is glad to have her back, despite her animalistic ways.  Unfortunately, the girl i  s unable or unwilling to communicate -- not having spoken since her rescue.  Also unfortunately, the DNA they take to prove she's related to the man who believes she is his returned daughter proves contaminated, so they can't even be sure it's the same girl.  The search for the dino is somewhat more exciting, featuring rickety boats, remote lakes and swamps, and mysterious creatures surfacing near the boat (catching only the splash on camera), and lurking at the edge of camera and IR range.  It all leaves some interesting footage for experts back home.  And, unlike History Channel's UFO Hunters, which airs opposite this show, the experts reach a conclusion: the unknown beasts on the film are revealed by computer enhancement to be hippos.  After all he's seen and heard, Josh then concludes that (sadly for us crypto fans) that the Mokele-Mebembe is just hippos, mistaken for a monster at long distance.  Still, even when the show doesn't find a monster -- and the chances of that seem very remote -- Destination Truth remains entertaining and, refreshingly, dedicated to the truth.

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