- Mar 25, 2010
- 719
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To be fair, that's an incredibly wide gap.
On one end you have Hulk; which was built like a Six Flags ride in regards to theme. "Paint it Purple, its the Joker". Paint it green, it's the Hulk. Obviously maintenance and ops are completely on another level, and we have a relatively decent queue and much better ride vehicle, but the theming itself is absolutely nothing. In particular the back half that goes over back of house.
On the other end you have quite possibly the most intricately themed coaster in North America, if not the world. If it's not top, then it's certainly in the discussion.
So saying it'll be between a bare bones Six Flags theme and the best themed on the continent is so varying that it really doesn't tell us much of anything.
What? Lol. When's the last time you been to a Six flags? Hulk looks better than any coaster themed by SF when SF actually tries. Also... What else would you want them to do with how big the coaster is? The coaster is iconic in its own right, and lends itself well to the overall design and aesthetic to the park, and does not loom out of place in mshi. The Cobra roll is as iconic to the park as the JP discovery center or Mythos, or the lighthouse.... Probably more so to an average guest than any of the things I just mentioned.
Just cause the ride is "unthemed" does not mean it can't "work" in its own respective area. Hulk is aesthetically pleasing and blends with the surrounding area very well. The criticism with six flags is that they've just put rides in anywhere without really, really paying attention to how that ride will look throught the whole park. Hulk... Isn't like that. Infact think about how many places in the park you can see it... Usually its when you're by the water. Looking out at all the other well defined islands and their respective waterfront weenies. Those waterfront views and the things you can see from them are very much intentional, and when you're deep into each island every other island and weenie disappears( For the most part).
Also... Uni and Disney are on a completely different playing field... I never expect from a regional park what I do from Universal or Disney. Its the difference between McDonald's and a nice Steakhouse. With a few outliers sprinkled about.
Also... Hagrid coaster looks great but lets go full stop on calling it the best themed coaster, even on the continent when none of us have ridden it yet. It looks great, but then you have rides like Gringotts and The Mummy where the merit of the "Theme" is enhanced by (faked) 360 degree sets throughout almost the entirety of the ride, and darkness and ultimate control over where light goes. Hagrid looks like its a great ride and certainly, from a prop and environment perspective looks absolutely amazing... But ultimately its still an outdoor rollercoaster, and outdoor environments just arent as conducive to immersion as being indoors. In a more controlled setting and environment you can just do more to make thing blend.
The one thing that really, really impresses me about the ride is the landscaping. The ride will thrive or fail on just how good they all the plant life blends into everything they're trying to hide with it.
I look forward to seeing just how great everything looks and feels when on the ride.
And I say all this to make the point, if its better themed than Hulk, we'll be alright. Its a giant coaster... What else are you sposed to do? Lol. Im more concerned about the idea of the top hat throwing off the visual scale of hogwarts.
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