Forbidden Journey vs Spider-Man

[chriss.moyer]

They are some of the most technologically advanced and impressive rides in the world. They both are very thrilling dark rides. They both are incredibly revolutionary and very unique that were the first to never be done before. They both have mind-blowing effects that make you say "How did they do that?"
They are easily (Besides Hagrid's and the Hulk) the two best rides in IOA as well as still the two best rides at UOR overall, (Right next to Hagrid's, and in front of Mummy, Hulk, Gringotts, MIB, Popeye, JP, Dudley, Transformers, and Simpsons) and most of all, they still wow and impress people today.

But which is the better ride in terms of quality? Based on queue, effects, story, ride experience, (thrill!) and overall better ride! It should NOT be based off personal bias/special connection with the ride. So is it Potter or the Potter-Swatter?

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

 

[Mad Dog]

I rate attractions by the Totality of the Experience, namely facade/queue/pre shows/ride. FJ is number one in my opinion since the facade/queue/pre shows experience are far superior to SpiderMan's facade/queue. The actual rides are pretty close with a small advantage to FJ.

 

[belloq87]

Forbidden Journey has the better queue, and obviously tops Spidey in animatronics. It's great, and certainly one of the best attractions in Orlando (at any park).

But Spider-Man, purely as a ride experience, has yet to be bested for me. Its blending of screens into real sets is still the gold standard, its integration of real effects is fantastic (the pumpkin bomb that starts on the screen and then explodes on the real set with actual fire is one of the greatest "WOW!" moments I've ever experienced on a ride), and it's well-paced as a story that builds organically to a big finale with the rise up the buildings and that wonderful simulated freefall (a gag that has since been done to death by Universal, but was really impressive when it was used on this ride).

It's truly an exhilarating attraction on all fronts, and it's still my favorite ride of all time 20 years after my first experience on it.

 

[tyro]

My scale for attractions is simple, it is how many times I say “Oh my gosh” “Holy :x:“ etc. and for me when I first rode FJ I had more of those moments than Spidey due to the KUKA arms movement and the way I had no clue how the screens worked until I googled it. However I didn't ride either of these attractions until the same trip in 2013 or so. Which may swayed my opinion since I saw snippets of Spidey on and off while looking into the trip. (I have since avoided POVs of stateside rides like the plague).

 

[Coolbfitz]

Spidey has better immersion (blend of screens, physical sets, lighting, motion, etc.), a better story, and a more entertaining queue.

 

[ChristopherSE]

I love the Kuka ride system, and HP, but Spider-Man is the more polished/cohesive experience. FJ is wonderful and exciting and a bit scary, but has issues with screen integration, sight lines, and cohesive world building. By that I mean, in the queue and on the ride, it feels more like a montage than a linear journey, as there are big visual differences between digital media and sets, and a lot of creative license taken with scale and positioning of places within the world. Of course, some of this is coming from a HP fan, so I know where these settings are “supposed” to be (my biggest qualm with the queue, though it’s still great). But purely as a ride experience, the transitions just don’t work on the level of Spidey.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Just found this thread, figured id continue it as I think its a very worthy discussion. First, pros and cons of both (The cons as you'll see aren't necessarily cons but more comparisons between the 2)

FJ:
Pros:
- Facade, queue, immersion, story telling, all pretty top notch. The story of the ride itself doesn't make a ton of sense but the queue story makes total sense. I think the fact that the queue here is practically a walkthrough attraction in itself says a lot about this attraction as a whole.
- Kuka Arms
- Actually uses the 3 big actors from the HP franchise
- Long ride time

Cons:
- Transition from screen to set is strong, but better on Spidey.
- Ride System for me is less comfortable in terms of re-riding. Can't feel like I can ride it 4-5 times in a day kinda feeling.
- A fun highlight reel type ride though HP (not a complaint) but not as shocking or thrilling.

SPIDEY

Pros:
- Transition between screen and sets are seamless and incredibly immersive.
- Story is cohesive from the beginning of the queue and throughout the ride itself. I also particularly like the queue really makes me feel in the comic.
- As another poster said, several WOW moments. Many moments you can look back to and remember specifically from the ride itself.
- PUMPKING BOMB
- Comfortable seating and easy re-ride ability.

Cons:
- Facade is nothing special
- Queue, when line is long, can be a tad boring. But rarely do I wait 60+ min for Spiderman anyways. Just my opinion.

Thats, really all I have for Cons for Spidey.

Overall, Spiderman takes it for me. Incredibly immersive attraction and fun while thrilling, and a ride that anybody could enjoy. I could ride that thing all day long.

 

[Magic-Man]

I'd give the edge to Forbidden Journey. Both are great, but FJ has a connection to the characters that you don't feel with Spider-Man (the suit isn't great, and it's not familiar, iconic actors like FJ). FJ also has the superior ride system.

 

[tielo]

They are both perfect imho. Spiderman puts you in a scoop mobile. That ride vehicle gets jumped on by Spidey, you get thrown around by baddies and I all believe it. The que is fitting. Above that I don't care about superheroes but this is one of my favourit rides.
FJ actually put me on a bench and makes it fly. What darkride actually does that convincing. The que is awesome, it has my favourit characters in it and it does perfectly what it tried to achieve.
Both rides are wildly different but the one thing they do both very well is not having you there as a spectator but puts you in the action. I like Disney dark rides but you are, almost always, watching scene's but I never feel part of it. Universal puts me in there and I have the feeling I actually was there smak in the middle, love it.