Ok, rode it yesterday..
Queue: Aesthetically, the queue is very nice and I love the plasma tubes and ball..The syncing of all the lighting is pretty neat as well..I really liked the new effects in the tunnel, and the cars are absolutely stunning..
I found the choice to not include any kind of video in the queue rather interesting...There are screens that show you what various equipment is doing (including overheating every minute, can't be a good thing)..There is really no kind of video with Thaddeus Ross or anything explaining what is happening, you're just kind of there...I get that we are test subjects, but I don't understand why? If you know anything about the Hulk, T.Ross is the Red Hulk later in the story...are we supposed to be combating The Hulk? Are we in a separate lab than Banners? Why is the lab still open and not fully air conditioned? All questions I had throughout..
There is also a severe issue with the queue in that the merge with Universal Express and the main drag is absolutely horrible..Essentially it works like this, two groups of Universal Express get to move forward and must be clear before us peasants in the regular line can move forward..Essentially what you have is a line that you can literally sit down in and not move for a while..This was a real culture shock to me as I've gotten used to queues like FJ, Kong, and Gringotts that seem to move constantly..
Ride: The ride is still so much fun, I couldn't really hear the music too well..I assume my speakers were not working properly...I still banged my head against the restraints during the corkscrew and cobra roll at the beginning, but the ride was overall more smooth (I mean, it should be seeing as the track is brand new)
Notes: As we were walking away my friends and I were discussing an interesting point...why is this called The Incredible Hulk Coaster, when it has nothing to do with the Hulk? I get we are getting 'hulkified' but I just found it odd..Another thing we were talking about is how the whole ride seemed to psych you up so much better in the last iteration..The loud and crazy video, the electronic beats constantly blasting, and the low hum of the lab...It was all tied together and felt very cohesive..
When you think about it..if you slapped a different name on the ride and transferred it to Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, or any other park with theming and you'd never notice the difference.."You could call it 'The Xcelerator" and everything would be fine..
You may be asking, why does that matter? I would say that matters a ton...What separates this new iteration and makes it 'Universal'? Makes it Marvel? Makes it 'The Hulk? A coaster can't just be green..That was something that the original understood very well..It built up to the moment that Banner became the Hulk, and we were in the gamma tube when it happened..I think the story for the ride may have killed this one
I will still ride it for the record...just thought I'd put in my two cents..
