all things fan girl

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Transformers The Ride: Changing The Face Of Theme Park Attractions As We Know It

Posted on 18:06 by jackson


This past Memorial Day weekend, droves of Los Angeles residents and tourists made the trip to Universal Studios Hollywood to experience the brand new attraction, Transformers: The Ride-3D. I was on the scene for the grand opening of the 100 million dollar spectacular and have returned with a detailed report on how me and a rag tag group of Autobots, Universal employees and fellow members of the press saved the world. Or rode a ride that pretended we saved the world. Shhh. Let me have my fantasy.

The event itself boasted free samples of a deliberately mysterious fizzy orange drink called "Energon", a red carpet filled with Ron Meyer, Steven Spielberg, Judd Apatow and, for no discernible reason, 10 minor actors from Glee, an impressive stunt show featuring the Optimus Prime truck, soldiers falling off of buildings, fireworks, actor Glen Morshower, and red, white and blue streamers exploding down upon us, and a large breakfast spread which boasted donuts being fried live. When I described the experience to a friend, comedian Kyle Ray, he noted,
Frying donuts outside of an amusement park ride based on a blockbuster movie that was based on a television cartoon, that was made to sell toys, this might be the most American thing I have ever seen.
Truer words were never spoken, Mr Ray. But we're not here to discuss how Universal celebrated the opening of their monumental new ride - we're here to review the ride itself, and tell you if it lives up to hype. After the jump, of course!



Stunt show FTW!
The ride has been described as a "technologically advanced motion based, flight simulator mega attraction," which is pretty damn accurate. You sit in a twelve person car with a bar against your torso and glide along 2000 feet of track, stopping in 14 different rooms along the way, each with its own screen and scene along the way. Some of the screens even reach 60 feet, and thanks to the incredible 3D paired with perfectly correlated motion simulation, it's easily the most immersive attraction experience I've had yet. From room to room there are bits of set dressing and practical effects to help make the whole thing feel just a tad more complete. Each room is also equipped to mimic the environment suggested by the scene at hand. When we're inside a building, there's no air or ambient noise. When we are outside, it becomes a little colder, the sounds of the city surrounding us. When we are on a roof, our hair flies around wildly as the cold wind blasts against us. No corner is cut, no stone left unturned when it comes to making us truly feel a part of this world.

The motion simulation in particular is unparalleled. The car reacts precisely to every action. Whether it be slicing, grabbing, pulling, dropping, reversing or more, no two movements feel the same. The ride truly excels in moments of speeding along the streets, falling from buildings, or being carried through the air as if flying, hitting buildings along the way. Don't be surprised if you find your stomach drop for a few beats here and there, or brace yourself for impact when you're about to smash to the ground.

Although the story is rather generic, with the Autobots recruiting park guests to help retrieve the All-Spark, which has been stolen by the Decepticons, it doesn't hinder the experience, although certainly if these sorts of advancements were to be applied to a truly great property, the whole shebang would be taken up a notch. But if you love Transformers and missions involving that pesky All Spark, then you'll love this even more than I did, especially because Peter Cullen and Frank Welker reprise their vocal roles as Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively, and Glen Morshower returns as General Morshower, briefing you along the way. The Transformer you specifically ride with is EVAC, who hasn't appeared in the movies, though you will encounter pretty much all of the Transformers you've met before, whether in the ride itself, or in the multitudes of expositional videos playing as you wait in line.
The Mysterious Energon

Speaking of the line, if you're one of those folks who appreciates a good themed waiting area with plenty to keep you distracted, you'll be incredibly pleased with the work done here. There are about 5 or 6 large rooms leading to the final stretch, each one acting as a different part of NEST and providing another slice of the story. The videos themselves run about 5 minutes long and have a few interstitials that ring in at about 40 seconds each. So let's say your room experience stays fresh for 7 minutes, 7 minutes multiplied by 5 rooms is 35 - the exact number of minutes the line wait clocked in at after the ride officially opened Thursday afternoon. But fear not! Even when the line jumps to over an hour, as it expects to for the summer and especially this Memorial Day weekend, the videos have plenty to look at a second time through and each room also has posters, information to soak in everywhere, and items on display, not to mention every control panel in every room is filled with buttons and switches you can actually play with without causing any harm, so you can get your role play on to kill some time, no problem.

And yes, Transformers: The Ride-3D passes the headache test! I rode the attraction three times in a row and never got a headache, which to me signals that the overall movement is smooth enough to mean if you're sensitive to such things, you should be fine. Cause guys, I get a bit of a headache on the Simpsons Ride too, and felt nothing physically upsetting during Transformers. WIN! The only real downsides to the ride at all were a. it's about the Transformers and I hate the Transformers films and b. 3D glasses and water effects don't really mix. But that may have just been a #frontrowproblem.

Overall, the ride is absolutely a success, but in my mind more so for what it means the future holds. This attraction is so seamless, so immersive, and so true to the material (Michael Bay consulted, obviously), that it only makes me wish such measures had been taken with better source material. I can't WAIT to see this tech applied to a property I truly love, of which there are many, by the way. As long as it's not Battleship or you know, The King's Speech (and something tells me I don't have to worry about that one), I will be a happy camper. Although I should probably take this moment to remind you that a Wizarding World of Harry Potter is opening in Los Angeles in 2015 as part of Universal Studios, so I have a feeling our Hogwarts ride is gonna be even more remarkable than the Orlando installment. If this tech is applied in any sort of way....holy crap BE HERE NOW.

For a complete gallery of photos from the opening day event, head here and if you want to try the ride out sooner than later without much of a line, be sure to head over on a weekday before schools officially let out in a couple weeks.
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to Facebook
Posted in | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Best Finds of Wondercon 2011 [And How To Get Some For Yourself!]
    Crossposted on Film.com I've been attending comic book conventions since I was two years old and perhaps my most favorite part of every...
  • The Definitive Differences Between Tintin and Rin Tin Tin
    Cross-posted on and commissioned by Film.com Image: alittlewhitenoise.com With   The Adventures of Tintin   opening this week, I keep encoun...
  • Buffy & Angel SNOGOMETER [Full Of Win!]
    Originally from SFX Magazine, we don't know why this making the rounds today, but we loves it and it's THE BEST CAUSE IT'S THE B...
  • D23 - Disneyland Kinect Adventures Slightly Improves, But Is It Enough?
    After being extremely disappointed in Kinect Disneyland Adventures at E3 in Jue, I decided to give it a go here at D23, with a couple more m...
  • What Would It Mean If _____ Won Best Picture?
    At this point the race has really come down to The King's Speech vs The Social Network to walk away with Best Picture come Oscar night...
  • Spaced Pilgrims!
    Thank you Edgar Wright for tweeting this and thanks Dark Bunny Tees for creating it. Now we just need Marsha, Twist and Colin and we're...
  • Lost Actors In Their Soap Days [Jeff Fahey Was ATTRACTIVE Alert]
    Okay, so because I've gotten back into Soaps recently (don't you judge me) I decided to subscribe to Soap Opera Digest again cause i...
  • Inglourious Dior
    I'm not exactly a fashionista. The world of haute couture is generally offensive to me, since it's largely comprised of ugly threads...
  • Celebrity Crush Of The Week
     It's only weird if you let it be weird, okay?
  • The New King of Crushdom - In Which I Write An Article About A Cute Boy SHHHH
    Note: this may be the most ridiculous thing you've ever read. Something happened in the past couple years. This. While many of us have u...

Categories

  • 24
  • 30 Rock
  • 500 days of summer
  • 50s Movies
  • 90210
  • A Capella
  • abduction
  • Absent Mothers
  • Access Theater
  • acting
  • Action
  • Activision
  • Actors
  • Adania Shibli
  • adornment
  • Ads
  • Adventure
  • AFI Fest
  • Ahimsa Collective
  • alcatraz
  • Alcohol
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • All Things Fangirl
  • Alphabet
  • American Idiot
  • American Idol
  • american reunion
  • Anaheim
  • AND OH MY GOD ADULT SIZED KEN TAGS.
  • Angel
  • Animals
  • Animation
  • Apple
  • Archer
  • arkham city
  • Art
  • art parties
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
  • Atari
  • Auctions
  • Audition
  • avatar: the last airbender
  • Avett Brothers
  • awake
  • Awards
  • Awesome
  • Back to the Future
  • Backstage
  • Bad Robot
  • badass
  • Barbie
  • Barbies
  • basara samurai heroes
  • Batman
  • Battlestar Galactica
  • Best Of
  • bill and ted
  • bionic commando reArmed2
  • Bioshock
  • bioware
  • Blogging
  • blu ray
  • Blu-Ray
  • Blunderbuss
  • Board Games
  • Boardwalk Empire
  • Bob Dylan
  • Bon Iver
  • Books
  • Bored To Death
  • boredom
  • Boston Film Festival
  • Bottle Blondes
  • Boys
  • Brad Pitt
  • Brecht
  • Brian Selznick
  • British
  • britney spears
  • Broadway
  • Brooke Berman
  • Brooklyn
  • Buffy
  • cabin in the woods
  • Caitlin Burns
  • CalArts
  • Caleb Followill
  • Capcon
  • Captain Blood
  • Captain Planet
  • Cards
  • cARTel
  • Cartoons
  • Casting Call
  • Catwoman
  • Caucasian Chalk Circle
  • Celebrities
  • Characters
  • Charity
  • Choir
  • Chris Evans
  • chris miller
  • Chris Nolan
  • christina hendricks
  • Christopher Nolan
  • Chuck
  • Classic Movies
  • clint eastwood
  • Clips
  • Clock Root Books
  • clone high
  • clone high usa
  • Clothing
  • clowns
  • Coachella
  • Cocktails
  • Cold Hearted Snake
  • Collectables
  • Colossus
  • Comedy
  • Comic Con
  • comic-con
  • comic-con 2011
  • Comics
  • Community
  • concerts
  • Contest
  • Conventions
  • Conversation
  • Cooper Union
  • Costume
  • covers
  • Crashbox Theater Company
  • Crazy 4 Cult
  • Crushes of the Week
  • cult movies
  • Cyclops
  • d23
  • Damon Daunno
  • Daniel Faraday
  • david fincher
  • Dawson's Creek
  • DC
  • DC Comics
  • dead rising 2
  • Deadpool
  • Death
  • Debate
  • Desmond
  • Despicable Me
  • Dharma Initiative
  • Dinosaurs
  • Discussion
  • disney
  • disneyland
  • Doctor Who
  • documentaries
  • Dogs
  • Dolls
  • Dominic Monaghan
  • dont you dare sell out of this before I get there
  • Download
  • downton abbey
  • Dr. Horrible
  • dr. who
  • dragon age
  • Dream On
  • Dreams
  • Drinks
  • driven to drink
  • DVDs
  • E3
  • Earl Lovelace
  • Earth
  • Easter Eggs
  • Ebay
  • Edgar Wright
  • Edward Gorey
  • Eminem
  • Emma Frost
  • Emma Watson
  • emmys
  • England
  • Entertainment Earth
  • Entertainment Weekly
  • episode 2
  • Errol Flynn
  • eruditechick
  • Etsy
  • Etsy Geek Search Of The Day
  • Event
  • event write up
  • events
  • extreme makeover: home edition
  • Fable 2
  • Fable 3
  • Fan Outreach
  • Fangirl Awards
  • Fangirls
  • Fantasy
  • Fashion
  • Fat Kids On Fire
  • Feminist Press
  • film festivals
  • Film.com
  • Finn
  • finnick odair
  • Fiona Apple
  • Firefly
  • Florence + the Machine
  • Food
  • Foodie
  • Fringe
  • Fringe Festival
  • funk
  • Furniture
  • G4
  • Gallery 1988
  • game of thrones
  • Game Review
  • gamers
  • Games
  • Gary Oldman
  • Geek Girl Con
  • Geekgasm
  • Geeks
  • Genius
  • geoff boucher
  • Ghost Recon
  • ghost trick
  • Gifts
  • Gil Zabarsky
  • gingerbread
  • girl gamers
  • girl power
  • Girls
  • Giveaways
  • Glee
  • Glee Cap
  • Glee Live
  • Glee-cap
  • Gleecap
  • Gleek
  • Golden Globes
  • Good Movie Alert
  • Gorillaz
  • Gossip Girl
  • Grammy Awards
  • Graphic Novels
  • great hera
  • Green Day
  • Green Lantern
  • Gremlins
  • griff the invisible
  • Grilled Cheesus
  • Guest Blogger Alert
  • gunstringer
  • Haden Blackman
  • Halloween
  • Hamlet
  • Hanna
  • Harley Quinn
  • Harmonix
  • Harrison Ford
  • Harry Potter
  • Harry Shum Jr.
  • Haymarket Books
  • HBO
  • Hellwalk
  • Henry Cavill
  • Hero Complex
  • High School
  • HitRecord.Org
  • Holiday
  • Home Decor
  • Homeward Bound
  • Horror
  • house of lies
  • How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
  • Hugo
  • hunger games
  • Inception
  • Indiana Jones
  • infographics
  • Inglorious Basterds
  • insidious
  • Internet
  • Interpol
  • Interview
  • Invisible Plane
  • iPad
  • Iron Man 2
  • Jack White
  • Jackie Earle Haley
  • Jake Gyllenhaal
  • James Hance
  • jason reitman
  • Jason Schwartzman
  • Jason Segal
  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan
  • Jeffrey Eugenides
  • Jennifer Egan
  • jennifer lawrence
  • Jim Dooley
  • Jimmy Kimmel
  • JJ Abrams
  • john stamos
  • Jonah Hill
  • Jonathan Safran Foer
  • Joseph Gordon Levitt
  • Josh Tate
  • Joshua Jackson
  • Joss Whedon
  • Journey
  • Joy Harjo
  • Judgement Day
  • Julian Casablancas
  • Jurassic Park
  • Karmetik Machine Orchestra
  • Katee Sackhoff
  • Ken
  • Kevin Pereira
  • Kevin Smith
  • Kick Ass
  • kickstarter
  • kid with a bike
  • Kids
  • Kids Movies
  • Kill Shakespeare
  • Kinect
  • Kings of Leon
  • Kristen Stewart
  • Kronos Quartet
  • La Roux
  • LA Times
  • lacma
  • Lacy Demon Clothes
  • Lady Gaga
  • Leaving Brittney Alone with sharp objects
  • leetup
  • Leighton Meester
  • Lesser America
  • Lionhead
  • List
  • literature
  • Live Blogging
  • live read
  • LivingSocial
  • lord of the rings
  • Los Angeles
  • Lost
  • Lucas Arts
  • m. ward
  • M.I.A.
  • MAC
  • Machete
  • Macs
  • Mad Men
  • Magical Lasso
  • Make up
  • Making Money by being a fan.
  • Making-Of
  • Margaret Atwood
  • Marjane Satrapi
  • mark ruffalo
  • Marketing Campaign
  • Marvel
  • Marvel BS Capcom
  • mary sue
  • masks
  • Media
  • mega man
  • Megamind
  • Megan Fox
  • melissa leo
  • Mercedes
  • Merchandise
  • metric
  • Mia Farrow
  • Michelle Rodriguez
  • michelle williams
  • Microsoft
  • Midnight in Paris
  • Mirror's Edge
  • Mod
  • monsters inc
  • monsters university
  • Morrison Hotel Gallery
  • Mother Jones
  • motherhood
  • Mothers
  • Movies
  • Movies for women
  • Mr. Schuester
  • MSN
  • MTV
  • multimedia
  • Mumford and Sons
  • Muppets
  • Muse
  • Music
  • Music Video
  • Musicals
  • Na'vi
  • Nathan Barr
  • Nathan Fillion
  • Necco Wafers
  • Neil Patrick Harris
  • nerds
  • Never Seen Lost
  • New York
  • New York Comic Con
  • New York Times
  • Nicolas Cage
  • Nightmare on Elm Street
  • Nintendo
  • Noir
  • Norton
  • not hating glee this week.
  • novels
  • NPH
  • NYU
  • Obsessions
  • OH MY LORD THIS IS JUST TERRIBLE
  • okami den
  • Once
  • opinion
  • Oscars
  • Pacey
  • Pacey-Con
  • Paley Center
  • paleyfest
  • Panel
  • Parody
  • Parties
  • PEN
  • PEN American Center
  • PEN Festival
  • People Get Ready
  • phil lord
  • Photo of the Day
  • Photography
  • Pipeline Theatre Company
  • pirates
  • Pixar
  • Playstation
  • poems
  • poetry
  • Point/Counterpoint
  • Poison Ivy
  • Poker Face
  • politics
  • Poll
  • Pop Culture
  • Portal
  • Powerpuff Girls
  • Predictions
  • Prince of Persia
  • prince zuko
  • Props
  • Prospect Park Bandshell
  • Prototype
  • Psychopaths
  • publishers
  • Puck
  • Puckasaurus
  • Pushing Daisies
  • Quentin Tarantino
  • Quinn
  • Quinn rocks
  • Rachel
  • Rachel Berry
  • Radical Entertainment
  • Radiohead
  • raiders of the lost ark
  • ramble
  • Rant
  • Reality TV
  • Recap
  • Red
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • Red Elevator Productions
  • Regina Spektor
  • Regionals
  • Religion
  • Retcon Fail
  • Review
  • Reviews
  • rian johnson
  • Rihanna
  • rin tin tin
  • Ringtone
  • Robert Ma
  • Robert Pattinson
  • Robert Rodriguez
  • Rock Band
  • Rock Band 3
  • Roger Ma
  • Rolling Stone
  • Rolling Stones
  • Romance
  • Roomsies
  • RPG
  • Runaways
  • Russia
  • ryan kwanten
  • Saccran
  • Salman Rushdie
  • San Diego
  • Santa Barbara Film Festival
  • Saturn Awards
  • Schedule
  • Sci Fi
  • Score
  • Scott Pilgrim
  • Scream
  • Screenings
  • SDCC
  • Season 2
  • Series Finale
  • set your dvr
  • seth green
  • Shahrnush Parsipur
  • Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare Forum
  • Shane Bauer
  • Shattered Dimension
  • Shaun of the Dead
  • Shaylyn Hamm
  • she and him
  • Shirt of the Day
  • shoes
  • Shorts
  • Showtime
  • Siege
  • Simon Pegg
  • Singing
  • Slashfilm
  • Sleep No More
  • Slings and Arrows
  • smash
  • snark
  • Soap
  • Soap Operas
  • Someone Who'll Watch Over Me
  • Something Borrowed
  • Song Suggestions
  • Sorcerer's Apprentice
  • Spaced
  • Spider-Man
  • Spies
  • Spirituality
  • Splice
  • spoilers
  • Springfield Punx
  • stamos
  • Stan Lee
  • Star Trek
  • Star Wars
  • stephanie meyer
  • steven spielberg
  • Still Alive
  • Streamy Awards
  • Street Fighter
  • Studios
  • Sucker Punch
  • Sufjan Stevens
  • summer in the city
  • super 8
  • Super Hero Squad
  • Superheroes
  • Supernatural
  • Surprise
  • sushi slippers
  • Swag
  • Swords
  • syfy
  • T-Shirts
  • Talia al-Ghul
  • taylor lautner
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Technology
  • teefury
  • Tekken
  • Television
  • Tennessee Williams
  • TERRIBLE PEOPLE
  • TERRIBLE THINGS
  • the adventures of tintin
  • The Ashgirl
  • The Avengers
  • The Beatles
  • The Big Bang Theory
  • The Big Lebowski
  • The Joker
  • the king's speech
  • The Liddy Plays
  • The Lonely Island
  • The Losers
  • The Mystery of Girls' Media
  • the river
  • The Sigh
  • The Simpsons
  • the social network
  • The Strokes
  • The Thrilling Adventure Hour
  • The Walking Dead
  • The Zombie Combat Manual
  • Theater
  • Theatricality
  • ThinkGeek
  • Thinkhero
  • Tim Burton
  • Timberlake Wertenbaker
  • Tina Fey
  • tintin
  • Tom Clancy
  • Tom Hanks
  • tom hiddleston
  • top ten
  • topher grace
  • Toys
  • Trailers
  • Transformers
  • Trilogies
  • Tron
  • Tru Blood
  • True Blood
  • TTLLTOT
  • tv
  • TV Tropes
  • Twilight
  • twilight zone
  • Twisted Metal
  • Twitter
  • User-Generated Content
  • V
  • valentine's day
  • Valve
  • vampire diaries
  • Vampires
  • Video Game Facts
  • Video Games
  • Video Games Games
  • Villains
  • Virals
  • visual art
  • Want
  • Warner Brothers
  • Warren Robinett
  • web series
  • Webisodes
  • weird science
  • westerns
  • wet hot american summer
  • Wheelchair sex
  • Wilco
  • Will Farrell
  • Wolverine
  • Women
  • wonder woman
  • WonderCon
  • Wonderwall
  • Woody Allen
  • WTF
  • x files
  • X-Men
  • Xbox
  • xoxogg
  • yacht party
  • Youtube
  • Zach Galligan
  • Zigabid
  • Zoe Saldana
  • Zombies
  • zooey deschanel

Blog Archive

  • ►  2014 (2)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (1)
  • ►  2013 (30)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (3)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (5)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (5)
  • ▼  2012 (89)
    • ►  December (4)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  June (11)
    • ▼  May (13)
      • Transformers The Ride: Changing The Face Of Theme ...
      • Happy Towel Day!
      • Is Community The American Answer to Spaced (And Ca...
      • So Bad, It Wasn't Bad Enough: A Battleship Rant
      • Snow White and The Huntsman Funtime Giveaway!
      • SEE THIS MOVIE! Extraterrestrial Available on VOD ...
      • Kinect Star Wars: A Mildly Fun Missed Opportunity
      • On The Scene: Starship Troopers 15th Anniversary S...
      • Should Joss Whedon Direct Avengers 2?
      • PEN World Voices Festival 2012: New Technology & C...
      • May At The Movies
      • Emily Blunt Top Five
      • Is 2012 The Year of Sci-Fi/Fantasy?
    • ►  April (16)
    • ►  March (9)
    • ►  February (7)
    • ►  January (9)
  • ►  2011 (138)
    • ►  December (7)
    • ►  November (11)
    • ►  October (13)
    • ►  September (13)
    • ►  August (13)
    • ►  July (11)
    • ►  June (9)
    • ►  May (6)
    • ►  April (9)
    • ►  March (15)
    • ►  February (16)
    • ►  January (15)
  • ►  2010 (240)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (8)
    • ►  October (13)
    • ►  September (18)
    • ►  August (27)
    • ►  July (36)
    • ►  June (29)
    • ►  May (40)
    • ►  April (49)
    • ►  March (15)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

jackson
View my complete profile