Mysteryquest S1

"Throughout time, there have been mysteries mankind cannot explain..." So begins the narrated opening credits for the History channel documentary series MysteryQuest, immediately letting audience members know what kind of interesting ride they're in for. Even better, the narration continues with the following: "But advances in technology have led to new theories, and the search is underway for evidence that may unlock the most baffling questions of our time...on MysteryQuest." With an opening like that, how could you not be intrigued? If you are, and if you didn't catch the show on the History channel when it aired, not to worry as it will soon be available in a 3-disc set that includes all 10 episodes from the first season - almost 8 hours of footage.

And for the most part, MysteryQuest delivers on its promise to attempt to unlock new answers to unsolved mysteries. With topics ranging from Stonehenge to Aliens to the Lost City of Atlantis, each episode embarks in a new direction, allowing scientists and other researchers on the show to implement cutting-edge technology in search of new evidence. Using carbon-dating, touch DNA, surveillance technology, underwater cameras, and even modeling software the explorers in each episode look to unearth new information at all turns. At times their methods prove fruitful - in the very first episode ("Hitler's Escape" -which questions whether Hitler really died or if he escaped), a forensic examination of skull fragments from the skull Russians claim belongs to Hitler reveals that the skull is actually that of a female. Similarly, in "San Francisco Slaughter" - an episode revolving around the Zodiac Killer - the research team investigates a new suspect and makes a surprising discovery when a 911 operator who spoke with the Zodiac confirms that the voice of the new suspect is eerily similar to the voice she heard on the phone nearly 40 years previous.

Other investigations are not so lucky - a look into government cover-ups at Area 51 ("Alien Cover Up") only succeeds in fueling conspiracy paranoia and stands mostly on hearsay. And some investigations are simply not meant to succeed - looking for evidence of the lost city of Atlantis ("The Lost City of Atlantis) or time warps in the Bermuda Triangle ("The Devil's Triangle") are investigating the kind of phenomenons that require many years of exhaustive research. And though the teams they gather for each investigation has put in the mandatory time leading up to the filmed investigations, it's difficult to imagine something new being uncovered. In the case of the Bermuda Triangle, explorers hunt to identify downed planes that were reported missing and in the case of Atlantis, they look to prove that a seemingly man-made structure called the Bimini Road is demonstrably man-made. Both episodes are engaging, but not in the same way as the more testable mysteries. To their credit, the producers have extensive input from an Atlantis doubter throughout the episode and focus more on proving that the Bimini Road is man-made rather than that it is part of Atlantis.

Overall, the first season of MysteryQuest is gripping documentary television. Each episode is 45 minutes long and features plenty of back-story and scientific evidence for anyone interested in a particular historical question. If the producers at the History channel decide to go forward with a second season, they would be best served by investigating more recent mysteries that allow for more demonstrable scientific examinations.

This is one of my favorite DVD Set. I have a lot of DVDs about The Paranormal, History, True Crimes and The Mafia. From Unsolved Mysteries to Cities of the Underworld I have a lot of documentaries on DVD, and the investigations you can find on this MysteryQuest DVD are among the most interesting investigations I have seen in my life. The show investigate 10 mysteries, each investigation is around 45 minutes long. Here is the listing:
# DISC 1: Hitler's Escape / The Devil's Triangle / San Francisco Slaughter / The Lost City of Atlantis
# DISC 2: Alien Cover Up / The Rise of the Fourth Reich / Devil's Island
# DISC 3: Jack the Ripper / Stonehenge / Return of the Amityville Horror

As you can see the show investigates a lot of different mysteries: Serial Killers (Jack the Ripper, The Zodiac Killer), UFOs and Government cover up (Area 51), Historical mysteries (Hitler, the 4rt Reich) and more. A lot of time the show investigates two mysteries in one show. For example in the episode about Alcatraz they are both investigating the 1962 escape of criminals Clarence Anglin, John Anglin and Frank Morris, and investigates supposed hauntings at Alcatraz.

All 10 episodes are really interesting. The narrator, the music, the atmosphere, everything is there. If you buy a lot of DVDs about History or the Paranormal then this DVD is a must have, it's gonna be a great addition to your collection.

The History Channel typically releases programs that have very good production values. Mystery Quest is no exception. The filming is done well, and the editing is reasonably tight, all of which serves to produce programs that are interesting to watch. These programs also tend to fall slightly more on the "pro" side as opposed to the "con" side of the mysterious and controversial. By that I mean, if you watch an episode of Nova, for example, on UFOs, you can be certain the basic tone of the program will be to "pooh, pooh" the subject a little. Mystery Quest leans in the opposite direction. That's not a bad thing, as it preserves the feeling of mystery, which is what keeps us watching and wanting to know more, and curious minds are minds that remain young. At the same time, Mystery Quest balances with just enough contrary views so that the viewer doesn't feel as though they are getting sucked into an overly New Age-ish black hole of silliness.

With the above in mind, be aware that shows like this are put together first and foremost for the purpose of attracting and holding on to viewers, and that means they are edited with great care to produce just that result, sometimes at the expense of what is strictly factual. Friends of mine have worked on episodes of History Channel's Monster Quest, which is the kissing cousin to Mystery Quest. They assure me that all these programs are scripted in the sense that the writers go into each episode with specific ideas in advance as to how they will be presented, and what the desired outcomes should be. The basic framework for each episode is worked out, and then the film segments and narration are pieced together so as to conform to the overall picture they determined up front to build.

This is not to say there is no truth here. On the contrary, many of the facts presented in Mystery Quest are fascinating. Just be aware that editing and narration deliberately try to sway you in certain directions to hold your interest, and to keep you coming back for more. After all, why make a program that is factual, but that kills the imagination along with all desire to see another? That's not good business, and the History Channel IS a business first and foremost. So, keep an open mind when watching Mystery Quest, but not so open that your brain falls out.

If you approach it from that perspective, Mystery Quest is a fantastic addition to your video library. Being somewhat of a WWII buff, and having lived for some years in Germany, I particularly found the episodes on Hitler's possible escape, and the rise of a Fourth Reich to be fascinating. While it is still most likely the case that Hitler died at the end of WWII, as our official history books suggest he did, enough discrepant evidence is presented in Mystery Quest that one has to admit the possibility exists that our history books got it wrong. At least what has been accepted for decades as "proof" of his demise is seriously called into question here. And if the "proof" proves nothing, it leaves the traditional, historical account without hard substantiation, thereby opening up the possibility that things happened in a completely different way. Unfortunately, the program doesn't offer much by way of evidence for any particular alternative. It merely pokes holes in the account of accepted orthodoxy.

All in all, I give this series two thumbs up. So long as you keep in mind that editing of these programs intentionally predisposes you to lean in certain directions so you'll keep coming back for more, there is sufficient factual information provided that it is well worth the time to watch.