 This past Friday we were invited out to Universal Studios Hollywood for a preview of the all new Fast and Furious: Supercharged. We got to go through the entire tour and all of the pre-show attractions as well as how they are blending the new ending of the tram tour into the overall tram experience. Pictures and Words by Gregg Condon The first change we saw was one of the Fast and Furious Cars outside of Wisteria Lane and then a report to park security and eventually featuring The Rock.   As we got closer to the show building the pre-show continued, basically the plot line is that Vin Diesels character is loose on the lot, and then because apparently in the last movie he was a good guy The Rock comes in to explain things. The outside of the show building.      Once inside, the first pre-show building is in a garage setting.  This pre-show features some stars from the movie series and more explanation of the events going on and how we're now involved.   Unfortunately we were unable to take any additional pictures or videos in the attraction but below we'll give you a run-down of the attraction as well as my review: (Does contain some minor spoilers) Once past the garage pre-show you enter another pre-show that is at a post street race after-party. I've gotta be honest, this is the first part that made me scratch my head a bit, as the scene is filled with scantily clad women that you'd see at a street race after-party. While I personally have no problem with this, being that Universal Studios is a family theme park I can see quite a few comments coming into guest relations regarding this particular scene. Beyond that, this scene is basically the rest of the cast explaining to the FBI that Vin Diesel's character is on their side and The Rock in a "my gun is bigger than your gun" scene. Once that is done we go into the actual attraction:
Ok, so let's cut right to the chase on this one. Despite advertisements telling you this is a Ride, it's not. While sure, it's technically considered a ride and they are more than able to advertise it as such, this is a tram experience like King Kong. Although I will say that Kong has a bit more motion than the overall experience here. That said, I do think they've managed to pull off the sensation of driving fast through the effects on the ride, so that's a good thing. Unfortunately the people who decided to call this a "ride" aren't going to be the ones who are hearing the complaints about this being a ride. Had the experience been advertised properly as a "Tram Experience" I don't think there'd be any issue.
I'll be honest, I've only seen the first two Fast and Furious movies, so I'm guessing as far as the "Story" is concerned being familiar with recent developments in the franchise would help. And yes, I put story in quotations for a reason, as there's not really one that makes a whole lot of sense and it's kind of shoehorned into the tram experience. But the experience is fun. Lots of fast cars, explosions, the 3D effects aren't over the top and I personally didn't notice anything being "in your face" like many 3D attractions do, which is fine. Kong doesn't have that either and it works. Apparently they've toned down the water effects which are absolutely not needed on this experience but instead use a mist to simulate tires creating smoke. This experience is definitely "360" as there is a screen at the front of the tram as well, which does help the effect of driving. The animation if I'm being honest looked a bit blurry to me, it was hard to see details in the characters faces, but the actors are secondary to the cars and the action they are doing. And that animation aspect is well done.
Overall I think this is a fun addition to the tram, it's certainly better than The Mummy or the nothing that's been there awhile. While personally I think this particular location would have been better served for Theme Park expansion (Diagon Alley anybody) it is still fun and if people go in with the right expectations they will have a good time. They are still tweaking the experience so it will be interesting to see what changes are made prior to the official opening on the 25th. Technical Rehearsals have already begun and Season Passholder previews begin today so it will be interesting to start hearing reviews from the General Public and if they see it differently than I do. Thanks for reading, we'll be back a little later this week with a full park update and we'll be back at the park next week for the red carpet event.
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