Savage Seas: Killer Waves

Filled with boatloads of suspicious sound effects keyed up to make those lengthy stock footage montages of big waves sound like atomic bombs and roaring tigers, Savage Seas: Killer Waves is the opener in a four part series (the other titles are Rescue, The Deep, and Killer Storms--series price: $79.98). A casual nod is given to explaining what causes waves and the history of mermaids and all that stuff, but clearly the video is eager to rush into what we really want to see: Destruction!! Mayhem!! And lots of it!! Bring on Stacy Keach, whose ominous briny voice would keep me away from my bathtub, let alone the depths of the Indian Ocean, and pretty soon cruise ships are tipping over, rogue waves and tidal bores are threatening villages, and people are getting sampled by sharks. Not since Noah, or at least the advent of "savage" TV ratings, has there been such a deluge of cataclysmic saline destruction as this (with the modern advantage of being conveniently packaged in a four-part slipcase at a competitive price). I recommended the earlier Savage Earth series from MPI (VL-3/99) and I'm going to recommend this set too--with reservations--because I admit that after my kids go to bed, I'm hypnotically riveted when I see someone else's house fall into the seas or someone else's cruise go rather poorly (read: sinking). And as the TV ratings suggest, I'm not the only voyeur on Terra Firma out there. Aud: P. (R. Ray)