MY TOP 6 FAVORITE SIMULATION/3-D MOVIE RIDES AT UNIVERSAL

Well, here's my last list for this year. With the exception of two attractions I didn't review, here are my...

            TOP 6 FAVORITE SIMULATION/3-D MOVIE RIDES AT

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!

NUMBER 6

 This is one of the two Simulation Rides and 3-D films I didn't review. I didn't review this since it's just a montage of his work.

 

The other ride is "Transformers The Ride", I didn't review it for two reasons. The first reason is they don't have it in the Florida theme park which is where I go to. Sure I reviewed Universals past simulation rides but that's because they're now looked at as short films then an actual ride and since the ride "Transformers" is still there, people would like to know the experience then whats shown on the big screen. My 2nd and main reason is, I NEVER WATCHED "TRANSFORMERS". I mean I'm interested in seeing it but I need to see the show before I see the films so I can understand it and see if the films hold up to the show. If the ride makes it to Florida, I'll ride it but what I won't do is review it until I see the show and the films. So those are my reasons why I didn't review any of those rides.

So what makes this 3-D montage film so special to me? First off, I love Alfred Hitchcock, I love his style, I love his casting, I love his thrillers, I love his dark sense of humor and he's one of my top 3 favorite directors. Even though its just a montage of his films, it still shows all of his brilliance he brought to cinema and seeing those moments on the big screen is epic. The montage is well put together, has great timing and pacing and shows all of his best films. I also love that it shows some of Hitchcock humorous moments because Alfred Hitchcock was really quite the jokester.

The best part in the film is when Hitchcock tells the audience to put on their glasses. As you put them on, you see the characters from his films put on their glasses (A little example of his humor) and once you put them on, you see a 3-D murder from the film "Dial M For Murder". The picture stops and the screen gets slashed and popping out of the screen are Birds (From "The Birds") flying over the audience, destroying the stage and from what I read, you can feel them pecking you.

I love this montage so much that I usually watch it every time before I put on a Hitchcock movie to get pulled into his atmosphere. I may have never experienced it but good god I wish I did. What replaced it? Well you'll find out in the next part of the count down. In the meantime, I'll see you soon and I can't wait for Anthony Hopkins performance as the master.

NUMBER 5

SHREK 4-D

Once you get past the ghost of Lord Farquaad's lame plan and continuity to his feelings for Fionna's Ogre form, as well as the film now being released everywhere now its a really good movie. The humor never stops and has me laughing all the way through the film, there's never ever a dull moment in this film, it's just as funny as "Shrek" and "Shrek 2". What I really love in the humor are its clever film parodies and breaking the fourth wall jokes. The chase with the stoned dragon makes fun of the death star blowing up in "Star Wars" and uses the same sound effects from the film, Magic Mirror almost starts telling a "Star Wars" story, Donkey feels "Dead people" and of course my favorite line is when they parody the Blues Brother line "It's Dark And Were Wearin Sunglasses, Hit It". The fourth wall jokes are great, they actually say "I saw you die in the last movie" and Donkey sticks out his head of the screen and compliments on the 3-D. Of course the characters are just as funny and lovable as they were in the film and are voiced by the original voice actors.

The main reason why I love the film is it's dark atmosphere.The first reason is you get none of the scariness or darkness in the "Shrek" films, they're always so colorful and funny, even during a dark moment. The humors there in the dark scenes too but I feel more scared and uncomfortable then I am laughing. The second reason why I love the dark atmosphere is in the original attraction "Alfred Hitchcock: The Art Of Making Movies", it was dark and scary but had some humor and it shows that the creators didn't totally forget the original attraction. Oh and by the way, remember when I questioned why Lord Farquaad wanted to kill Shrek and Donkey since they would turn into ghosts too? Well Farquaad's ghost gets killed by a dragon in the ending and if Shrek and Donkey did turn into ghosts, I assume the stone dragon would finish the job. Sorry for my flaw in my review.

Finally the 3-D effects are outstanding and its every where. They cleverly disguise the video monitors in the Pre-Show as props, they have water spray in your face during a disgusting moment, the seats move, the feeling of spiders on your legs, they use an animatronics, the 3-D feels real and I love the set designs for each theater. Seeing it at the parks theater is more fun than watching it at home. Sure it replaced a film I never experienced but its a good replacement and is a film I'll see whenever I visit the park.

I was going to put "Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem" as number 4 or heck even put it on the list but as much as I found it as a great 5/5 ride, it didn't hold up as much. I still remember it, I remember having a lot of fun and laughing a lot on the ride, I remember loving the characters especially the minions, I even remember being amazed by the special effects but as time went by, it doesn't hold up as much as all the other Simulation rides I love. Now I'm defiantly going to ride it again when I visit the park again cause it's not like a ride I'd avoid going on but I guess the main reason why I didn't put it on the list is because I've never seen the movie. Now I know I should be basing it off on just the experience of the ride and even though I love the characters, I feel like I need to see the film to identify them better. Even though I gave "Shrek 4-D" a 4/5, I still remember it better then I do with "Despicable Me:Minion Mayhem". I mean, I've seen the movie "Shrek", I grew up with these characters, I know the style, tone and comedy of the films plus even if I did see "Despicable Me", I'd probably still put "Shrek 4-D" on my list because "Shrek" was a huge part of my childhood and despite its flaws, it still lives up to the first film and brings me the same joy and fun I get from watching the first film. Remember these aren't the best Simulation/3-D Rides At Universal, these are just my personal favorite.

NUMBER 4

HARRY POTTER AND THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY

The ride isn't just the only part I love, I also love the Harry Potter theme park as well! The minute I saw the train, heard the Harry Potter theme song and looked the world of Harry Potter, I immediately smiled! I love the themed stores, I loved seeing the creatures in the window, I loved hearing moaning Myrtle in the Bathroom, I also loved their Butter Beer, I had three or four rounds the last time I was there and not only did I love it but I could taste the world of Harry Potter. It was fantastic and had a great atmosphere.

The ride literally made me feel like I was in the world of Harry Potter. It was fun, it had most of the characters, there was Dragons, Giant Spiders, Dementors, the Whomping Willow Tree and they were both scary and exciting at the same time. Even while I was waiting in line I was amazed by seeing props from the films(Even though they're replicas), seeing pictures talk and seeing the characters talk to the audience. It was amazing and I wasn't even a Harry Potter fan at the time, nor have I seen all the films in the series.

This ride and park didn't just make me feel like I was in the world of Harry Potter but made me grew to love the films and books. I'm serious if it wasn't for this visit, I'd probably wouldn't be watching the films any time sooner. Every time when I come to the park, I'll be sure to visit this attraction and world again. Harry Potter fans, DON'T MISS IT!

NUMBER 3

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE RIDE

 

Now I know I talked about this ride a lot, so I'll make it short. This was my first ride at the Universal Theme Park and I'm proud to say I'm glad that it is. When I first went on this ride, I have never heard of the movie "Back To The Future" and after riding this ride, it made me want to see it. From what I remember as a kid riding this ride, despite the fact that I never seen the movies, I literally felt like I was in the Delorean, and looking inside the car, it had all the features that was in the movies. The ride was really thrilling and made me feel like I was literally traveling through time and in danger; and the theme music that plays as you're chasing Biff makes the experience even more epic. Again, the performances from Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F. Wilson reprising their characters is just as funny and amazing as they were in the films. If they got Michael J. Fox  and Mary Steenburgen to reprise their roles, the ride would be complete and actually feel like the 4th "Back To The Future" movie. Still, aside from the absence of some of the main characters, the ride is still an epic experience and if I had the chance to ride it again with my knowledge of the films, it would probably be even more epic. As for the majority of people who are fans of the films who rode on this ride probably have enjoyed it better than I did.

Why did they replace it with this awful ride? I love "The Simpsons" and it is funny, but as a ride, it sucks. I met Doc Brown (Well a guy in the Park dressed up as him) and I told him that I was sorry that his "Institute OF Future Technology" is gone. He smiled and responded "It's still here...IN THE PAST!" and he's right and it won't soon be forgotten.

NUMBER 2

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SPIDER-MAN

 

When I first rode this ride as a kid, I was scared to death of how realistic the 3-D effects looked. When I rode on this ride years later, I got to enjoy it more than I did the first time. Then when I reached my teenage years and after enjoying Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy, I rode this ride a 3rd time and after that, I watched the 90s animated show that the ride was based on and I loved it. Last summer (Which was the same summer when the reboot of Spider-Man came out, which I also enjoyed), I rode on this ride again and only this time it was enhanced and looked more realistic, after riding it, I officially put Spider-Man not only as one of my favorite Sci-Fi heroes but also as my 3rd favorite hero with a long on going franchise of all time.

 As a kid, I wasn't interested in him or the villains cause I think the idea is too boring and campy for me. Even though I was right on the campy part, this ride not only introduced me to a great hero and great villains, but it also made me a Spider-Man fan and has inspired to watch the movies, read the comics and play the games. Even though Spider-Man is a campy hero, that's what I think makes him fun and so not boring. Alright, there are adaptation where they take his campiness to far, but we're not here to talk about them nor talk about why I love Spider-Man, we're here to talk about why I put this ride as one of my favorites.

Well, I talked about the main reason why I love this ride, but why was this ride so aspiring to me? First off everywhere you go on this ride you're in danger, and when ever you're danger (For the most part) Spider-Man has to save you and this ride really shows how heroic he is. It also shows his campy sense humor and struggle with saving the city and you. The villains in this ride are not just good choices, but also make you feel like you're in true danger. Now granted, I'd rather see Venom or the Green Goblin attacking me than some of the villains listed on this ride, but it doesn't stop me from loving this ride or being threatened by them. By the way has anyone noticed that this is Scream's debut in the animated series. She was never in any of the episodes of the 90s show and even though she does nothing in the ride portion of this attraction, she creates tons of chaos in the Queue Videos. I also love that Doc Ock is not only the villains leader, but is also more threatening and insane than ever. I also love that we're working for my favorite supporting character in the Spider-Man franchise J.Johan Jameson, who makes this ride a lot of fun.

The ride really simulates that you're in danger by having rooms that are made to look like parts of New York City and the 3-D Screens blend in perfectly with the scenery. Whenever a villain attacks you, the car you're riding in, the car bumps or moves up and down to simulate the on screen villains attack. I also love that you can feel the water from Hydro Man and feel the fire from Doc Ocks flamethrower arm. There's even special effects and things going on in the background scenery such as the shadows of Spider-Man web slinging, seeing fire exploding from a building, boxes moving up from Doc Ocks Anti Gravity Cannon, and seeing the Spider Signal on the buildings of the city. Of course the best part and highlight of the ride is when you're being lifted by Doc Ocks Anti Gravity Cannon while a fight is going on and being dropped off from the building to only be saved by Spider-Man  at the end. This ride never gets old and gets better and better every time I ride it and on top of it, it has made me a big fan of Spider-Man.

AND MY NUMBER 1 FAVORITE SIMULATION/3-D MOVIE RIDE AT UNIVERSAL IS...

TERMINATOR 2 3-D: THE BATTLE ACROSS TIME


I was 7 years old when I first saw this film, and the minute when those Terminator machines popped up and fired their guns, I cowered and went to the gift shop with my Dad and waited for the rest of my family there until the show was over. Afterwards, I felt awful not seeing this 3-D action film and until I go back to Universal, I decided to see the films when the 3rd film came out. I watched all three films and I loved them (I didn't love the 3rd film as much as the first two, but it was still good). When the time finally came, I bravely went into the theater, sat through the film, and my jaw dropped. After seeing the film, I was more amazed with this attraction than I was with any of the others in the park.

So why is it so special to me? First off, I love the films (except for Salvation) and seeing this on the big screen with special effects (I'll get to later) was more than an experience. Unlike "Back To The Future: The Ride", they didn't just get some of the actors reprising their characters, they got all the main stars reprising their characters and each and every one of them does an epic job, especially Arnold. I also love that we're once again more focused on John and The Terminator working together to destroy "SKYNET" in the future. I also love that our story also takes place in the future, instead of the present like the previous films. Yes, there are some serious continuity and unexplained plot holes in the movie that can distract a lot of fans of the films, but personally it doesn't bother me that much, it's a theme park attraction, they have to tone down the extreme violence and nudity, as well as take a few liberties. Speaking of violence, we may not see blood or a slashed face from the Terminator in this film, but the action is still good and intense and never ever gets dull.

What really makes the movie and the experience are the special effects. I admire the special effects from the three films because they use so many different uses of special effects that it shows you don't need CGI for everything. The special effects in this film is just as outstanding as the films. Like the Spider-Man ride, the 3-D effects are so realistic that it makes you feel like you're in danger. I especially love how they use it for the villains like when the T1000 is searching over the audiences heads in his liquid metal form and when his blades are popping out of the screen and of course to anyone who's seen this film, who could forget the T10000, a Spider like machine made out of liquid metal as it tries to attack the audience and our main characters. That has to be one of the best 3-D characters of all time.

What also makes this film more alive is the fact that there's actors interacting with the screen to make you feel like the characters are really there. The choreography is so amazing that I feel like that the actors playing them are really in danger. They don't just interact with the screen, they also do stunts such as breaking through the roof of the theater; riding a motorcycle out of the screen and in the screen; run down and hide by the audience; and fire guns. I also love that in the beginning that there's a tour guide who interacts with the audience until she is killed by the T1000, I thought that was a nice touch and really made the audience feel like they're in the film. This film isn't just a film, but is also a show as well, and to me that makes it even more than an experience. Oh, and I must point out that on Halloween, they do a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" tribute in the same theater.

I love this film so much that I make sure I see it whenever I go to Universal. It has great casting, awesome action, outstanding 3-D effects, and every time I see it, it never ever gets old. I love all the other simulation/3-D rides I just mentioned, but none of them are as epic as this film. I really hope they don't replace this ride, and if they do and the replacement sucks, then I know Universal park is going down hill. 

Those are my Top 6 Favorite Simulation/3-D Movies at Universal. Next time when I go back to Universal, I'll write my Top Favorite Movie And TV Based Attractions. Hope you enjoyed the list and tune in next year for more Top Lists.