Welcome back to my Geeking Out in Orlando mini-series; today is the final post of the series.
We’ve been looking at the top 10 geeky things to do in each of the major theme parks in Orlando and soon we’ll ask for you to vote on which has the best geeky attractions. So far we’ve looked at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Universal’s Island’s of Adventure, and The Magic Kingdom. Today, we’re looking at the final park, Universal Studios. Universal is home to the Men in Black, Terminator, E.T., and those kings of parody – The Simpsons.
10. Shrek 4D
There are a LOT of 3D movie attractions across Orlando, many with the additional in-room elements that add the 4th “D” in the title of this attraction, however Shrek outshines them all. Not only does the ride reunite the original cast for its voice acting, the plot, effects, and dialogue are all top quality and take you straight into Shrek’s world; there’s also a lot of gentle ribbing aimed at that other large park just a few miles away.
9. The Simpsons Ride
The Simpsons Ride replaced the classic and sorely missed Back to The Future ride (Christopher Lloyd voices Doc Brown in a cameo appearance in the ride’s pre-show video); it’s a motion control ride which sees the Simpson family taking a ride at Krustyland with you in the car behind. Naturally things go horribly wrong as Sideshow Bob attempts to kill Bart repeatedly, sending everyone flying onto other rides which include parodies of “It’s a Small World,” “Pirates of The Caribbean,” and the Shamu show. You’re later saved by Professor Frink using the awesome catch phrase, “Never fear, a nerd is here,” which I want to steal before finally becoming part of a classic couch gag. The gift shop is also possibly the best themed in Orlando: The Kwik-E-Mart sells Lard Lad Donuts, Squishees, and even Flaming Moe energy drinks.
8. Twister... RIDE IT OUT
Twister was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. In fact, for a couple of years I actually wanted to move to the USA and become a storm chaser. The film was popular enough in its day to inspire this attraction, which puts you in the middle of a tornado. You’ll begin by watching the film’s opening scene and a short video starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as they talk about the awe-inspiring power of tornadoes as a montage of clips from the film plays. Then you’ll walk through the wreckage of Wakita (the Oklahoma town in which parts of the film were set) before entering a small stage where a twister will destroy buildings, send cows through the air, and cause the set to catch on fire. It’s a very loud, very intense experience that will probably frighten small children and will probably not be enjoyed by anyone with a bad tornado experience in their past.
7. Rip, Ride, Rockit
The latest coaster at Universal, Rip, Ride, Rockit is unique in many ways. Each seat features a personal touch-pad in the lap-bar that allows the guest to select their choice of song to play during the ride. The ride itself features three first-ever maneuvers, making it a totally different experience from any other coaster in Florida. After riding, instead of the usual ride photograph you can instead buy a video of yourself on the ride mixed with stock footage and with the soundtrack you selected. Each song has a slightly different video at the end so it is edited in time with the chosen music. Fourteen cameras are used for filming, six on the vehicles and eight at strategic points along the track; some guests have uploaded their videos to YouTube so you can see what the finished product looks like.
6. Horror Make-Up Show
This is a behind-the-scenes look at how gory special effects are created for the movies. It is one of only three attractions remaining from the park’s opening in 1990 (the other two are E.T. Adventure and Lucy: A Tribute). The pre-show lobby contains props from classic and geek favorite movies such as Psycho, Jaws, and Hellboy II. During the show, effects like knife wounds are shown on-stage, guests are dragged up to interact, and guests get to watch clips featuring the studio's best monsters. The language and humor does get a little PG-13 in places, which, combined with the potentially scary effects, make this one not ideal for little ones.
5. Disaster!
Originally called Earthquake: The Big One, this is another backstage look at how disaster movies are made. It keeps the final “ride” element of the original attraction but the beginning show is all new. As with the Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios, some guests will be picked out to help in the first part of the attraction, which also features an incredible “hologram” of Christopher Walken who plays director Frank Kincaid. The hologram is actually a video projection system improbably named Musion Eyeliner – the same technology used to allow a virtual 2Pac to play this year’s Coachella Music Festival. Later in the attraction you’ll board a subway train that becomes trapped in a station during an earthquake and has some impressive effects thrown at it. At the end of the scene, footage of your group on the train, and the shots filmed earlier of the guests who were selected to help, will be edited together with pre-existing material to create the trailer for the movie you’ve been helping with – Mutha Nature starring Dwayne Johnson.
4. E.T. Adventure
I’ll admit now that I don’t like the E.T. movie but the ride is great. You’ll begin by watching a video where Steven Spielberg explains what you’re about to do. Before boarding you give your first name to a cast member who’ll issue your Interplanetary Passport. You’ll then board rows of cycles with E.T. in your front basket and be chased through the woods by the government and police who are after E.T. before he uses his powers to send you flying over the city – it takes a lot not to tear up when the theme music swells and you see the silhouettes of the bikes across the moon. You’ll soon be on E.T.’s home planet, where E.T. will wish you farewell, actually addressing you by name, although I’m not sure if the system handles unusual names well.
3. Revenge of the Mummy
I love The Mummy film series – well, the first two anyway. This indoor roller coaster begins by walking you through a dark queue in which you wind your way around an Egyptian tomb in the process of being excavated after seeing several clips of the film’s crew discussing strange and unsettling incidents during filming; there are several interactive elements that do a great job of scaring the pants off of unsuspecting guests as you go. The ride itself begins as a slow dark ride through the tomb where you are warned that the curse is real and Imhotep is coming for you. After being attacked by thousands of scarab beetles, Imhotep catches up with you and sends you on an intense twisting thrill ride in the dark.
2. Men in Black: Alien Attack
The Men in Black ride has one of the most awesome queues in Florida. You begin by visiting an exhibit at the 1964 World’s Fair which you quickly learn is a cover for a MiB training program. You enter an “elevator” which takes you “deep underground” *ahem* and into an awesome recreation of MiB Headquarters, which is only flawed in being too empty. (Maybe’s it’s Sunday?) Your ride vehicle is equipped with laser guns (not attached to the car like the Buzz Lightyear ones in The Magic Kingdom) and you set off on a training mission shooting cardboard aliens. Pretty soon, however, Zed informs you that a spaceship has crashed in New York and you need to head out and shoot some real aliens instead. You get spun around as you attempt to shoot at hundreds of funny, scary, and gross aliens before coming face to face with the enormous cockroach bug from the first movie. This ride has great re-ride potential and using the single riders' line often makes it a walk-on even on busier days.
1. Terminator T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
It may not be the newest attraction at the park but it’s one of the best in Florida for bringing you into the story. This attraction was created by James Cameron for the park and features the all original cast (and a price tag of over $60 million – and that’s 1996 money). You’ve been invited to attend an event at Cyberdyne Systems, a demonstration of the T-70. Before entering the theater you get to watch a spookily realistic promotional video from Cyberdyne which is hacked into by Sarah and John Connor as Cyberdyne staff run around trying to locate the source and stop it. You’ll then enter a theater and be introduced to the T-70s before John and Sarah arrive and disrupt the show. The show uses a mix of 3D effects, real life actors, and in-room special effects which combines so seamlessly that it’s sometimes tricky to be sure what’s actually happening. You’ll also get to meet a Hunter-Killer, mini-hunters, a Terminator endoskeleton, and the T-1000000 – an enormous liquid metal spider – along with Arnie’s Terminator and Robert Patrick as the T-1000. It may be over 15 years old and an old franchise, but this attraction still packs a huge punch.
So do you think Universal Studios might just get your vote for geekiest park in Orlando?
Next week I’ll ask you to vote for the geekiest park in Orlando. I look forward to seeing you again and finding out which park wins the vote.
