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Fast & Furious: Supercharged - Reviews, Photos, & Videos

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"Maybe knowing that this is the end of the overreliance of screens"

Who from Universal came out and said this?
 
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It's the first thing I noticed - why film these actors if they are going to look fake?

Maybe changing the time of day to night could help? (Especially since the whole plot takes place at night.....)

Don't get me wrong - my positivity on this attraction is in no way saying that it is good; but more so saying I had fun, which ultimately is the point of a theme park ride. From what I understand, UC did the best they could with what they were given. The chips were stacked against them when it should have never been. F&F is one of their premiere franchises, and it does deserve better than what they got - BUT with what we have.... it is what it is.
Any tips on the load to get on the first bus? Like "stay to the right" for Kong?
 
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My wife and I rode yesterday and enjoyed it. We’re not the F/F demographic, but did see the 7th movie.

I thought the queue was very well done. I’m not a car enthusiast, but enjoyed looking at the cars. I liked the clips from the movies playing in the first room with air conditioning.

The preshow rooms... Let me start with the second one. I thought the awkward interaction worked well and was brief so it didn’t drag on too much. The first preshow room has the opportunity to be great but was fine for what it is. I think the actors will find their way and hopefully some cheeky humor will be thrown in the mix.

The loading platform... we probably waited 10-15 minutes in this room due to some delays. After riding and reflecting on the ride my wife commented that some music, a DJ or party atmosphere might have been nice. Not sure it would have made sense for a loading dock, but might increase the excitement for the ride.

The ride vehicles with the clear front window really help with seeing everything. I thought some of the dummy drivers looked good and others less so.

The speed tunnel was very effective but the video message overhead dragged on a bit.

I was VERY surprised at how the scale and detail of the next set, an alley with residential apartments on one side and garage/warehouses on the other. Great environment.

The dance/truck musion scene was good. I got a good chuckle from The Rock’s gun joke. Moments like that are always funny and seem right at home and in the spirit of Universal attractions like Horror Makeup Show, Disaster and The Simpson’s and Shrek’s preshow.

I did think the FBI agent’s interaction was odd.

The immersion tunnel having a front screen is a much welcomed addition when compared to Kong. I always seem to be on the end row on Kong, but prefer the middle. In the middle you get to see the action on either side, but don’t see the annoying black wall just outside of the RV or the bottom/top of the screen. So when on the end I tend to watch the action on the far side.

I thought the 2D was fine and was glad not to be donning glasses. I thought the curve of the screen was more pronounced but not sure why.

There was a lot of action happening so it will take several rides to take it all in and we will gladly be riding in the future.

I liked the container yard at the end. I think the exit ramp needs some up beat music playing.

Final thoughts. I thought this was going to be a huge waste of space but ended up really enjoying it.

Also, when arriving at a theme park, I’m aware that a good time requires a suspension of disbelief for everything I’m going to experience. Another good rule we try and remember is to go expecting a good time. Lines, crowds, strollers, lockers, metal detectors are all opportunities to groan and complain, but we try to be chill.

I really enjoyed the humor in Disaster, but honestly due to the time commitment of the show/ride only ever did it 3-4 times a year. We’ll be riding SuperChargerd much more often.
 
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I think it’s also worth mentioning that the so-called actors in the preshows are just regular attractions TMs. I feel like they’ll get better as they get used to their roles.

You're right, but there's so many attraction TMs that will come and go that the preshow performances will be wildly inconsistent versus having a smaller group of actors. At least the TMs aren't really given any important dialogue, just awkward fluff...
 
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You're right, but there's so many attraction TMs that will come and go that the preshow performances will be wildly inconsistent versus having a smaller group of actors. At least the TMs aren't really given any important dialogue, just awkward fluff...
I'd probably loved doing that. I was such a ham at Disaster... I always had funny banter in scene one before the "Lonnie" came out. The Lonnies loved it so much they gave me a written compliment (and a free lunch!) and the crowd always ate it up. LOL
 
I think it’s also worth mentioning that the so-called actors in the preshows are just regular attractions TMs. I feel like they’ll get better as they get used to their roles.
Interesting.

So they are essentially doing an entertainment role at Regular TM level pay. On one hand that sucks, but at the same time, at least you aren't sitting around pushing buttons all day.
 
Alright, so here are my thoughts.

In all honesty - I like it. It is by no means the greatest ride in the world, but it fills the role of a popular franchise that will absolutely eat tons and tons of guests.

The Facade
It's fine. I like it more with the walls down because the entire area feels pretty nice.

The Queue
Honestly think it's awesome. The scale of it seems a bit much but it is a warehouse after all. Seeing the cars from the series was pretty awesome. It's funny that the pre-show implies they are cars Dom has won but all of them were used by other characters throughout the series. lol

Lots of touches in there to pay homage to former attractions too. That's a win in my book.

Pre-Show
Uh. They certainly exist. The war room has a very cool aesthetic but they feel incredibly unnecessary. I can see the first one being cut or reworked. The war room at least sets up the attraction.

The Ride
There's good and there's bad. Let's start with the good...

The Good!
- Loading Dock. I truly like the load area. It reminds me of RnRc but on a much larger and more immersive scale.
- The first scene. The first time I rode it I wasn't sure if we were moving or not. Really cool effect. Unintentionally feels like a callback to Earthquake/Disaster as well.
- The second scene. The first time I saw it I audibly went "whaaaaaat?!". LOVE IT. Feels like a scene out of Great Movie Ride. The set is fantastic and it also truly feels like you're outdoors in an alley way at night.
- The front screen! I was shocked to see an actual screen in FRONT of the bus during the 360 scene. IMO, it adds a LOT to the experience and I'd love to see Kong do the same.
- Not a bad seat in the house. Unlike Kong when you end up in one of the first few rows you know it's gonna be difficult to see anything, we sat in row 2 of Supercharged one ride and had a great view of everything, including the front section.
- No 3D. I think the ride and 360 tech works better without 3D glasses, especially since the ones Kong uses block a lot of your peripheral vision.

The Bad!
- The party scene. Goes on for way too long.
- The continuity. Oh boy. We could go on about this for a while. In short. The villain is now sort of a good guy in the movies? The ride is transporting you to a post-race party. It is night time. You get chased out of the party into the action scene. It is day time. Ride ends and Ludacris says "The party is here, the party is now". Wat?
- Length. Feels like they should have at the very least added an additional 30 seconds to the 360 scene to me. Something new. Anything.
- Effects. The fog and water seem like a bit much.

Overall
I think your reception to this ride will depend on a few things. My expectations were skyhigh but that's because I'm a massive fan of the films. It satisfied my desire for a Fast & Furious attraction, but also it disappoints that this is what we got and not something that seems more fitting for such a HUGE franchise. This and Jurassic Park are Universals two most financially successful brands. It's a shame, really.

When people go to see F&F films or watch them for the first time, I always say "leave your brain at the door and enjoy the ride". The saying remains true with Supercharged, but check your expectations with your brain. It's a trainwreck but a fun one. Like a crappy B movie that wins you over because it's so much fun.

A comparison I made yesterday is that it reminds me of Twister as if it became an actual ride. It's corny. It's fun. There's some ridiculous quotes and overacting. But you leave laughing and having a good time unless you go in expecting the next Forbidden Journey.
 
Well, finally got on F&F today (first time broke down leaving loading dock. Boy, when those things stop, they REALLY stop). So... here's my take-away:

The Good:
Its nice the 360 room has a front screen. Makes it seem more complete
The "speed tunnel" effect really does work well
The practical sets looked cool

The mediocre
The queue. If you're a fan of F&F, cars or garages I guess its cool, For me, it felt like I wandered backstage somewhere.
The buses are ugly.

The bad:
The pre-shows are dumb, and actually unless you're a F&F fan, even more confusing (Who is Shaw? Why is the FBI after the good guys? Or are they bad guys? Why did the party become a diversion. Who ARE these people?)
the acting is terrible - and I mean the F&F actors. Half the time it felt like they were waiting for a prompter to shout out their lines. And they looked bored.
The 360 is terrible. And I don't just mean the effects. The image is blurry, the contrast washed out, and its dim. It doesn't;t look like a video game as much as a VHS tape blown up to high def
The motion base barely moved, except to tilt. So sitting still in front of the screen felt like... sitting still in front of a screen.
I know Universal likes to spritz with water. But I felt like someone threw an entire glass of water at me at one point.
The ending feels like they literally just fell out of road
I still really dont understand what storyline there was.

Afterwards I rode Kong:
The image, even with 3D, was brighter, clearer and sharper. And I swear F&F didn't approach the 60fps Kong does.
The storyline is cleaner, if we have to wait for Kate to be rescued by radio
The motion base really cranks
The additions to the tram version are all pluses (The outside, the bat-tropics, even the set up 3-D scenes)

In short, Kong showed how to take a tram show and make it a standalone. F&F felt cheap, rushed and incomplete.

If wr still hd the Disney ticket books, Kong would be a D. F&F would be one of those freebies someone sponsored.
 
I've been on it three times now... it's rubbish. Favorite bit was the speed tunnel. That's really what will delight me on a new ride, something that surprises me, something I haven't seen before, and/or something that takes me a little bit to figure out how they did it. Like one of my all-time favorite theme park experiences was going into Rhino Rally at Busch Gardens completely unaware and being surprised by the river section at the end.

Absolutely everything about each of the pre-shows is awful. Nothing about the story makes any sense, they beat you over the head with the family bit and not a single time they use it is organic by any stretch of the imagination, musion is NOT convincing for a crowd scene, none of the characters have any of the charisma or humor that they do in the movies. Each pre-show is awkward to an uncomfortable degree.

I think the 360 scene would be better served by being 3-D, it wouldn't be so apparent how much the CGI sucks. But it wouldn't help how incomprehensible and unengaging the action is, or how the whole scene is way too short, or the abrupt, anticlimactic ending.
Is "Stink Pickle" in this attraction?
No, but The Rock does say "cookiepuss"
 
So i've been on the ride 3 times now and my opinion of the ride hasn't changed too much. It's still bad, but i've noticed that it's mostly because they just ported the musion and 360 scenes into a full ride. The practical scene after the speed tunnel is beautiful and like others have said, like something that would have fit right in in The Great Movie Ride. The load area looks really nice as well.

So the queue is definitely nice and I love all the little easter eggs, but the pre-shows are just not good. I don't put this on the TMs at all as I saw a few TMs do it twice and they did the roles great for how they were written. The issue is that they are terribly written. Also, I find it hilarious that they keep pushing this story "Turn off your phone, turn off your phone!" then you leave the war room and there's literally a mobile game that you can play against others waiting in line that they are advertising :lol:

Now i've sat in Row 1, 5 and 7. The ride isn't as effective in the front as in the back. My ride on Row 1 for instance was easily the worst from an immersiveness and effectiveness standpoint. For example, the coolest part of the ride imo (Speed Tunnel) isn't effective because you're too far forward. The effect works because of the TV screens and the Rock telling you to turn your phone off. By looking straight ahead at those screens, you get tricked easily. Sitting in row 1 where the screen is above your head, you fall out of it and I just started staring at the wall and it broke it all for me. Since I was also all the way to the left, the Musion scene was pointless to me because I couldn't even see from over there. I will say, while that scene is cringeworthy as a whole, the part where Dwayne Johnson comes out has actually put a smile on every ride.

Then the 360 scene starts and it's just like... wtf? It's just soooooo bad. Also, I got very wet almost every time on the ride so far and the CO2 is out of control right now. Not even kidding, I think there's been times where i've come off of actual water rides drier than I came off of F&F. I do think it is worth mentioning that while I heard a lot of people talking about what a joke the ride was, there was also a lot of people who seemed to enjoy themselves with the ride. I do think it seems like most were expecting more, though based on the receptions i've heard at the end. It just sort of ends and it's very confusing as to what even happened. It's sort of a "that's it?" moment. Anyway, it is what it is at this point. It'll at least eat up crowds, I guess.

Some food for thought: I've waited probably 60 minutes total (probably closer to 45) to go on the ride 3 times and i'm still disappointed. What happens when people are waiting 60-90 minutes just to go on the ride once? How will people respond then? If it's a 15 minute wait, go ahead, but it's worth no more than that.