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Kong - skipping outside portion
- Thread starter Tom Morrow
- Start date
IMO Bourne is a really neat tech demo, but a boring show with bad pacing, an incoherent plot that's almost non-existent, and lacks suspense. T2 3D was legions better and more engaging. I'd rather ride Fast honestly. I mean no disrespect to the Bourne performers as they are obviously talented.
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Most would disagree with you on Bourne being bad. And this is basically the only place I see people ragging on Villaincon. I'll give you F&F, but Creative was forced into that one.
Andrew25
Well-Known Member
You forgot Volcano Bay, Cinematic Celebration (a poorly marketed show, it was very Disney-esque), 5 resort hotels, and improved dining at CityWalk. Bourne is great, far better now than the watered down version of Indiana Jones at DHS.
Theme park fans hate Fallon, but it's very well received by the general public. If it weren't for the abundance of screens elsewhere in the park, it'd be received better from the fan community.
Not everything was great, but this is simultaneously occurring as Universal develops two new theme parks in Orlando and Beijing, and continue to deliver and improve on their special events.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
So like the movies?
I mean... actually, yeah. But viewing it through edited scenes from up close cameras vs. from far away on a static stage makes a big difference in how engaged you feel in the action. The choreographed fight scenes in the stunt show are not intense or engaging. Bourne strolls along and takes out one bad guy at a time like a side scrolling video game. The entertainment value of them boils down to being neat that the performers have synced their movements with the screen behind them.
Same with most of the stunts. It's not "how'd they pull off that stunt?", the focus is all on the tech and how they integrate with it. Again, a neat tech demo, not an engaging live performance.
This is the only place I've seen people rave about Bourne, tbh. VillainCon I think has just barely made a blip on the theme park radar.
Agreed on Fallon. It also didn't help that it debuted against Flight of Passage.
The point I was trying to make is that there's an annoying trend throughout the theme park enthusiast community to excuse anything bad Universal does. They've basically drastically watered down one of their E-ticket attractions to save a few bucks. We should rightfully be upset rather than being all "well it's okay because everything else they do is SOOO good".
Andrew25
Well-Known Member
I am definitely with you there, I defend Universal on these forums from some outrageous comments, but boy have I been disappointed in them in the past year.
They've only gotten away with things because they keep investing, unlike Disney, so it makes the medicine easier to swallow lol
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Even still, investments since VelociCoaster have been unimpressive. Disney has opened GotG and TRON since then.
The big defense I see for Uni is, “ they’re building a new park.”
So run the existing ones into the ground? And we believe this will all magically reverse in 16 months?
Andrew25
Well-Known Member
To be fair, the time window you are using excludes the ridiculous construction boom post 2010 at UOR. If it weren't for the pandemic, Epic would be open by now and there would be visible progress on Lost Continent/USF projects.
What makes me hopeful is that there are massive plans in the works for USF and IOA. Universal isn't stopping after Epic.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
If we give credit for Universal one day building Hyrule where they closed Poseidon last year, I guess Disney is equally ambitious with their fluid future plans.
I’ll feel better once construction walls go up at WDW AND IoA/USF.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Its been over five years since they closed The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad for Hyrule.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
I’m sure they’ll get right on it at their earliest convenience.
If Zelda can wait in the castle with Ganon for 100 years, we can wait, too."Universal's investments since VelociCoaster have been unimpressive. Since then, Disney has opened two rides that started construction before VelociCoaster."
SplashJacket
Well-Known Member
If you pretend Bourne doesn’t exist, everything they’ve added to Islands has been gold. Everything they’ve added to USF has been trash since Diagon.
If the rumors are true about lost continent, that trend may continue, especially with Dream Works Land on the horizon for USF.
The better park keeps getting better and the bad park stays on life support.
To me, after Lost Continent gets redeveloped, islands almost has its full potential realized, which to me, isn’t true for really any park in the world outside OG Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. Great park.
If the rumors are true about lost continent, that trend may continue, especially with Dream Works Land on the horizon for USF.
The better park keeps getting better and the bad park stays on life support.
To me, after Lost Continent gets redeveloped, islands almost has its full potential realized, which to me, isn’t true for really any park in the world outside OG Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea. Great park.
Flip this and you have that Universal announced and built Hagrid's and Velocicoaster after Disney announced those two rides in 2017. It just took Disney a long time to open both of those.
The biggest downgrade I have for them is Poseidon. Because nothing should shutter that long with that much real estate with an attraction that met the needs of having more non ride experiences. IOA has no proper live shows as it is. Great atmosphere and small shows, just nothing on that scale.
Bold prediction, but Dreamworks Land as well as parade and nighttime show are going to be a sleeper hits when all is said and done.
SplashJacket
Well-Known Member
USF with night shows will be a huge upgrade.
Definitely agree Dream Works will likely move the needle for the average guest more than we’re giving credit.
Would move the needle a lot at Islands, but Islands is a very top heavy park that could use more small attractions (especially for kids).
But USF honestly just needs help everywhere, so Dream works is one step in the right direction.
Nothing they’re spending money on is inherently bad. Just wish it came with a marque attraction. Dreamworks with a good Kung Fu Panda ride (not the Bejing one) would be a tremendous plus for the park. But so would SLoP over Villain Con
Disney also demolished half of Hollywood Studios and built Toy Story Land and, more importantly, Galaxy's Edge in its place in only approx. 30% longer than it took Universal to build just Velocicoaster. But that is never mentioned, because it doesn't fit the standard theme park nerd narrative that Universal always smart and good and Disney always dumb and bad.
I just want people to see it less black and white or having to "pick a side". Both companies, in recent history, have offered a mixed bag of good and bad decisions.
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BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I don’t take as much issue with the lead time of announcements as everyone else seems to. If we’re being real technical SNW is a 9 year lead time for Florida. It’s more about the inevitable cadence of openings, mixed with ensuring it’s not an unnecessary guest hinderance by slow rolling.
Ie guardians or pandora were shoved off to the side. Walls In the Epcot hub or prematurely closing attractions by a decade are not great.
Taking a 30000 foot view of both creative teams, I trust the consistency of UC less. There’s a lot of stuff in the last decade that’s already in consideration for replacement. Yes that’s offset by some great, great rides (mostly in IOA). Beijing was a pretty lackluster product. I’m sure I’m missing something, but at worst Imagineering stuff (beyond hotels) is ok. Or ok in isolation, but held back by comparison (Soaring around the World). Harmonious may have been the biggest out and out failure and was remediated shockingly quickly for a lethargic behemoth.
I haven’t experienced SNW, but the last time they’ve really pushed the industry forward has been Diagon and sort of Hagrid’s / SNW as a land. Velocicoaster is awesome, but it’s not really some industry revelation.
You make some good points.
I don't think it is so much less time as the four parks having a dry spell compared to that a two park resort with limited space has done. Fallon and Fast for sure are awful. Most other things are pleasers.
Revelations are not needed as much as audience pleasers.
They pushed the Industry forward in 1999, in 2009, in 2014 and soon again with 2025. Seems consistent in that regard to me.
You could even say they did it with Volcano Bay as well as it changed a way a water park can operate and has been successful.
Many attractions at theme parks only last for a decade to fifteen years. It is rare even for Disney to have things last longer(became .lre common with Iger neglect) and the exception are a few great E tickets and the MK nostalgia collection. And since Iger some things have lasted ten years too far out of stagnation.
If we really want to talk about creative endeavors not lasting much more than a decade you have Test Track and Galaxy's Edge as great examples with closure or back to drawing board.
In this regard at least the talk of closing and redo is a plus vs stagnation isn't it? Otherwise you get the Imagination Pavilion or Wonders of Life still there kind of situation. Cut the duds.
I don't think it is so much less time as the four parks having a dry spell compared to that a two park resort with limited space has done. Fallon and Fast for sure are awful. Most other things are pleasers.
Revelations are not needed as much as audience pleasers.
They pushed the Industry forward in 1999, in 2009, in 2014 and soon again with 2025. Seems consistent in that regard to me.
You could even say they did it with Volcano Bay as well as it changed a way a water park can operate and has been successful.
Many attractions at theme parks only last for a decade to fifteen years. It is rare even for Disney to have things last longer(became .lre common with Iger neglect) and the exception are a few great E tickets and the MK nostalgia collection. And since Iger some things have lasted ten years too far out of stagnation.
If we really want to talk about creative endeavors not lasting much more than a decade you have Test Track and Galaxy's Edge as great examples with closure or back to drawing board.
In this regard at least the talk of closing and redo is a plus vs stagnation isn't it? Otherwise you get the Imagination Pavilion or Wonders of Life still there kind of situation. Cut the duds.
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ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Sometimes I think we give them too much credit for VelociCoaster. It has a stellar ride layout, but that is because the ride manufacturer happens to make rides like this now (they exist elsewhere in the USA) and Universal got a great layout. The creative side (static velociraptors) is not impressive, nor are sight lines around the park or intrusion on some of Hogsmeade. But, I look past those things because it’s a great coaster that doesn’t make my head hurt.