"Sweet Revenge"
The Mummy takes revenge in Universal's latest thrill ride!
As I looked up into the cloudless sky the sun sizzled down upon my burned skin. Its rays beat into my very pores making my thirst for liquid unbearable. Fortunately this was not the desert- it was only Orlando- and the nearby waterhole was only five steps and five dollars away. Upon approaching the border into these lands of ancient artifacts my gate person took my passport and asked quietly of me if I heard something. I said no. She said, "Are you sure? I think I hear your mummy calling!" I smiled as she let me pass into the realm of movie making fantasy.
It was 9:00 am and I rushed along with my other explorers, straight to the site of new mummy ride. I was thinking to myself I sure hope that this thing lives up to all the hype. I was reminiscing about the old King Kong attraction. I was hoping that Universal had indeed replaced it with something newer, fresher, and of quality. Unlike the attractions that seem to appear without those traits at the nearby mouse house lately. Universal's Spiderman Ride has certainly achieved the honor of best attraction in Orlando for me. Could they do it again?
As I turned the corner it stood before me. Ok- not bad. A nice façade changes from Kong's New York building into the Museum. More impressive however - no line. Maybe this ride is a real people eater I thought. Either that or no one's excited about it. After all it was the morning of the official public opening of the Mummy; I expected to see more of a line. Anyway we hopped right into line and began the expedition.
The first part of the cue line is the usual backstage look. Some props and molds from the film's effects were displayed, as well as some of the pre-production art. Focus is on the video monitors as they begin to tell the story. Story is important in this attraction. Stephen Somers and crew worked with Universal in an unparallel collaboration. The goal of the designers was to make Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride as if it was the next sequel to the Mummy films. According to Universal, the new attraction "transforms the story told in the two films "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns" into a threshold experience that combines the visceral motion-based thrills of a roller coaster ride, the intense themeing of a "dark ride and the psychological terror of a modern, effects driven horror film.". The pre-show video shows interviews with cast and crew from the films including Brendan Fraser, who talk about their fears that the production was strangely cursed. The video is very clever, and funny, as it talks about how the crew had to wear special amulets to protect themselves. Poor Brendan Fraser has a hard time getting one of these, which results in "borrowing one from a poor young production assistant. This guy, who you are sure, is going to bite it, makes an appearance a bit later in the attraction.
We wander deeper into the attraction. Now the queue area gets interesting. We come across an Egyptian tomb. This set was beautifully done. Many of the hieroglyphics, I am told, spell out real words and warnings to the visitors. Many interactive gags keep guests amused such as the interactive scare mirror. You can see guests in the next hall via video in the mirror and by pressing the blue scarab on the front of the mirror you can shoot a blast of air at them. There are other interactive gags, which I will keep secret that amuse guests until they reach the ride itself. A giant two story Anubis statue is being lifted through the middle of the tomb. This elaborate set of the excavation site is navigated back and forth as you approach the load area.
Boarding a 1930's era railcar your journey begins. Each car can hold 16 guests and there are up to five cars navigating the track at one time. The attraction does move people! As the car takes off you are warned to turn back -as you see the remains of others who did not heed this warning. The coaster suddenly turns the corner to find that production assistant (the one from the video) wrapped up in bandages head to toe. He yells to you, pleading for you to turn back. Too Late. The Mummy appears from a nearby sarcophagus. The Mummy is very impressive. He is touted as the most realistic and fluid animated figure ever created. He turns and sucks the life out of that poor assistant then makes you an offer, join his legions or surrender your soul. There are no takers. The coaster resumes its ride into another part of the tomb, the treasure room. Light shines in from above and hits one mirror that in turn hits another, like in the first film, until the room is aglow with light that illuminates the treasure room. More than 3000 sheets of gold foil were used to create this gleam of the gold here. The foil is the same foil used for wrapping hamburgers! The Mummy, now in voice only unleashes his wrath and calls upon his undead warriors. Amid propane fire effects the warrior mummies flip up from behind some walls. These mummies were one of the less impressive effects of the ride. They were too static once they came up and we stayed there a bit too long just looking at them.
Then the ride starts to pick up. The mummy turns into a giant CGI face that moves with us into the scarab room. The coaster stops in front of a wall. Scarab beetles pour out from the wall and are projected on the sidewalls. The feeling of the bugs dropping on you got everyone screaming as the coaster then starts going backward down a steep drop before being launched into a high-speed escape.
According to Universal the coaster uses linear induction motors at speeds up to 45 mph through the darkness. The ride track is designed to propel the vehicles through 2,200 feet of curves, drops, and sweeping turns, containing seven "near zero G' movements. At one point the vehicle falls 25 feet at a 50-degree angle, providing the sensation of falling straight down. One other interesting bit of info is that the ride tracks are filled with sand so they minimize the sound and create a noise free ride. Speaking of sound, each vehicle is equipped with 22 speakers reverberating 350 watts of audio.
As the coaster picks up speed we see the mummy's minions as painted black light apparitions appearing just over our heads. They appear as flashing images almost moving themselves. I am actually not quite sure how they accomplished this, (even after riding it several times. It was almost as if different colors of these painted mummies came on at different times, providing a sense of movement. It's just something you have to see.
Our ride is not over. An extraordinary use of video and animatronics brings the next illusion to life. This ride is all about surprise. The coaster movements, drops, speed, and surprise in the story. Up until the opening of the attraction the ending was kept a closely guarded secret. I must say I was surprised and so I won't divulge the ending. But I will tell you the Mummy packs a final wallop that includes the best flame effects I have ever seen.
As far as the psychological part of the ride, I think the designers did a good job combining people's fears of the dark, fear of bugs, fear of fire, fear of falling and fear of being out of control in order to completely immerse the guests and blur the line between reality and fantasy.
I believe that the design team created something here that people will agree is groundbreaking. The use of a coaster as a vehicle to transport guests into a story straight from a movie- by the movie creators themselves, brings together the best of the thrill ride and a story themed show.
When the ride was over I thought I had escaped the curse of the Mummy. That, however, was furthest from the truth. The next steps I took would bring me into the very heart of the Mummy's curse itself. I was face to face with countless mummies who only wanted one thing. They reached into my pocket and pulled out what they needed to help the mummy regenerate once again ...the money to pay for all the mummy merchandise I was about to take home.
Some photos for this article where contributed by Michael Chaille of Ghost Ride Productions. Some photos are from Orlando while others are from Hollywood. Universal opened a Mummy ride simultaneous in both parks.
