TURN-ONS AND TURN OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : VIDEOCASSETTES

“Save the Panda.” Vestron. $29.95. Those cute, cuddly giant pandas, which look like overgrown teddy bears, are in danger of becoming extinct. This one-hour National Geographic documentary (previously shown on PBS stations) details the elaborate international efforts to preserve this rare animal of the remote forests of China. The program is filled with fascinating footage of the panda, both in zoos and its natural habitat. The sequences about mating are also intriguing. Drawbacks are a plodding pace and an overly solemn tone, increased by somber classical music and a funereal narrator. Information: (203) 968-0000. 1/2