review of shrek 4d

[primusjim]

Originally posted by Johnny 5

What is great about this attraction aside from its stunning visual, audio, and sensory effects it won’t bore you and will more then likely not get old

Shrek is not like that; this ride starts out fun from the second you step into the line.

Fun from the second you step in line? You must be easily amused, because I don't think watching clips from the movie separated by screens telling you that you can purchase the movie in the giftshop is my idea of fun. Maybe the fantasyland looking shields and banners did it for you. In what way is the giftshop fun?!

And I wouldn't say any of the effects were stunning, since basically all of them were already used more effectively in Honey I shrunk the Audience (sneezing water effect, rat tails on the legs, moving seats, or in this case moving theater.) And the jokes were all just rehashes of things already used in the movie. Every segment felt like a glued on cheap 3d trick. I was bored of this attraction halfway through.

And I surprised to see that some people here seem to think Shrek had some secret formula that made it appeal to children and adults effectively. The muppets and Pixar have always done this, and many times more effectively, without feeling the need to resort to the low brow extremely easy humor Shrek uses non stop.

 

[Brooke]

There was a very positive review of it in today's paper (Orlando Sentinel), it was on the cover of the calendar section. I'm still surprised that a lot of people didn't like it, I've already been on it four times and it seemed to me that everyone in the theatre loved it, even after waiting in the rain for 40 min. :veryconfu

well, here is the article if anyone wants to read:

Ogre d'oeuvre

By Rebecca Swain Vadnie | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 13, 2003

It was perfect weather for ogres at Universal Studios: drizzly, overcast, humid.

But reporters have a tendency to wilt in 100 percent humidity, which is why I was so grateful when the Universal rep ushered me into the new Shrek 4-D attraction (which opened to the public Thursday).

Wonderful -- it's as cold as a dungeon. Wait a minute . . . it is a dungeon. Lord Farquaad's dungeon, to be exact.

There are chains hanging from the ceiling and an intimidating-looking array of flails and irons on the wall. And aren't the Three Little Pigs and Pinocchio hanging from the ceiling?

Well, at least it meets the summer-in-Florida coolness criteria.

Of course, the real test for this attraction will be living up to the original DreamWorks movie.

Does Universal succeed?

You bet your gumdrop buttons it does.

Shrek 4-D is a change from the usual "based on the movie" attraction. Working with the original minds behind the movie -- and the voices of Shrek stars Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and John Lithgow (Lord Farquaad) -- the show blends cutting-edge 3-D technology and sensory interaction to create a new experience for parkgoers.

As with other rides and shows at the park, "Universal Studios tries to bring cutting-edge technology to great film stories," says public-relations manager Michael McLane.

Their approach with the Shrek 4-D attraction was no different: "We set out to tell a good story with great characters."

This marks the first time that an original cast and creative team from an animated movie have produced an attraction such as this, and the project took more than two years to develop.

Shrek 4-D acts as a link between the first movie and the sequel, which comes out next year. Things pick up where the movie left off, following the lovable ogre Shrek and equally green Princess Fiona on their honeymoon. The trip quickly takes a turn for the worse when an old enemy (can you guess who?) comes back to haunt them, and it's up to Shrek and his wisecracking sidekick Donkey to save Fiona once more.

A seven-minute pre-show, which happens before the audience enters the theater, fills in back story for newbies and sets up the action for the show in a fast-paced, funny way using animatronics and video.

Part of the movie's appeal, as McLane points out, is the fact that it's a film for adults that appeals to kids, and that irreverent spirit is re-created in the show.

Some of the jokes might seem familiar (waffles anyone?), but what makes this attraction special are the 3-D effects and the in-theater surprises.

There's always something to watch for during the 12-minute movie, whether it's ducking the digitally rendered fireballs shooting into the audience or feeling the soft mist from a waterfall floating past your face.

When Shrek and Donkey take a wild ride through an enchanted forest, the specially designed seats produce several different motion effects that mimic the bouncing ride perfectly.

"It's about the unusual and unexpected things that happen," McLane says. "[The audience] won't notice how seamless the technology is. . . . That's how the designers know they've done a good job."

And it is seamless. The 3-D film was produced using digital technology and projected on four digital projectors instead of the usual two, adding another layer of realism to the movie. The introduction of the "fourth dimension" meant retooling the effects usually found in 3-D movies and making the experience more tactile and inviting.

Sure some of these elements have been used in the past by other rides and shows (shaking seats, 3-D visuals, playing with the audiences' senses) but not on this level and not with this kind of technology.

Shrek 4-D is novel without being just a gimmicky tie-in to a popular movie. The show is funny and has enough surprises to withstand any "let's do that again!" requests.

Even ones from those grumpy but lovable ogres.


IF YOU GO


What: A 3-D movie with in-theater effects; the theater accommodates 300 people and is wheelchair accessible.

Where: Universal Studios, Interstate 4 and Kirkman Road, Orlando.

When: The park is open from 9 a.m. daily.

What it costs: One-day admission $55.33 adults, $45.75 ages 3-9 (free age 2 and younger).

Where to call: 407-363-8000.

 

[mandib]

I saw some problems with it. The motion seats were pointless. The story line drops. There's no smells. I know this has all been metioned just my 2 bits!

 

[Justin St]

oh give me a break, you disney people need to lighten up. Shrek was great. I only hope disney can come up with a great 4-D show like shrek for Mickey's Philharmagic.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Originally posted by Justin St
oh give me a break, you disney people need to lighten up. Shrek was great. I only hope disney can come up with a great 4-D show like shrek for Mickey's Philharmagic.

And you need to remove the Universal tinted glassess. Disney fans are its biggest critics, but it would appear that in some quarters the Universal can develop flawless parks as criticism is not required.

Im looking forward to the ride, but having read several reviews, perhaps my expectations were too high, that is the problem with hype, even if the attraction is great, it has been cast as revolutionary. Thats a lot to live up to.

 

[woofboy111]

I got to admit, Shrek isn't the best 3d movie around, but it's better than most. Yes, it does make fun of the Happiest Totaltarian dictatorship on earth (disney), but that's part of the fun. They could have added some more effects to the ride, but it's still enough. Most people do enjoy it. I only wish they put that much thought into the Jimmy Neutron ride instead of just re-animated the old ride with new characters.

 

[ISTCrew20]

Originally posted by Johnny 5
here is a postive review.

"I truly feel that Shrek 4D will become USF’s #1 Ride. Many feel that the Mummy will become USF #1 Ride and for the Thrill Seekers “The Mummy’s Revenge” will more then likely be #1. Aside from thrills Shrek 4D offers a fun and unique perspective to 3D Films and is a fun show that everyone from all ages can enjoy aside from the Mummy which will limit people due to health problems and old age. Shrek has it all, it’s well decorated, well themed, it’s funny, is action packed and above all a great family ride that should not be missed.

What is great about this attraction aside from its stunning visual, audio, and sensory effects it won’t bore you and will more then likely not get old. What I mean by this is for me T2:3D has gotten boring, it’s not something I go on anymore, and it’s only because of the boring preshows and the slow start up to the real excitement. Boring preshows and a slow start up will make you loose interest in the show all together so when you see the actual show it doesn't meet your expectations.

Shrek is not like that; this ride starts out fun from the second you step into the line. The fun and laughs don’t end; The fun just gets better and better. Then when you think the fun is over you enter the store and find more laughs and fun. This will make you want to go on over and over again and leave you wanting to come back and ride it again. How do I know? This is how I feel; I want to go back on again right now. You also don't have to see the 1st Shrek to understand the story plot of the ride, it is all explained very well in the preshow before the actual show. However if you want to know more about Sherk check out www.shrek.com

The basic plot begins after Shrek ends where Fiona and Shrek get married and ride off into the sunset. However Lord Farquaad will not let these 2 ogres live happily ever after, yes, yes he did die at the end of Shrek. Coming back from the dead as a ghost he has set out to get his wife back. Shrek, Donkey Fiona & Dragon believe is gone forever and have no clue at all he is back. While on the honeymoon Fiona is kidnapped and Shrek and Donkey go after the kidnappers to find out who wanted to kidnap her and why. Do all fairy tales have happy endings? Can the hero really die? Can a ghost be killed? If you want to find what happens there is one place to go Universal Studios Shrek 4D."

fun count=6........:lol: ...actual fun count....prob. about 1 1/2

 

[mr snrub]

am i the only one who thinks the shrek franchise is one that thinks its funnier than it actually is? (if that makes sense)

 

[RozFan]

Just back and I really enjoyed Shrek 4-D. I thought the theater was plain but soon realized that it had to be so the lighting effects would work properly. I thought the seats were a nice touch, a little bit different from what we have seen in the past. I did not see the 3D effects to well. I felt like I was treated to a sneak peek at Shrek 2. The movie itself was great, nice and crisp. I found the story and felt it was effective in telling what we needed to know and there were no moments where I thought "?" I definitely don't think it was subpar to what is out there but somwhere btw ITTBAB and Muppets 4D. I also really enjoyed Jimmy Neutron. I did not know a lot of the current Nick Toons but enjoyed the attraction. The chicken dance at the end was hysterical as were many of the one liners thrown through out the attraction.

Same goes for Shrek. I thought Donkey was great, he really made Shrek 4D.

I don't have rose tinted glasses for Universal but I think both new attractions are nice additions that help liven a dusty park up and bring in new guests. Any attraction that has a 85 minute wait can't be that bad and from the conversations I heard from other guests it seems that it is being really well recieved.

 

[MrPromey]

Re: Re: review of shrek 4d

Originally posted by Johnny 5
bad mouthing shrek will get you a "Flogging". making fun of disney is the best part of the film. it's about time disney got was coming to them for all the thousands of jabs they shot at universal. i loved the ride i think its better then all the other rides at ioa and usf combined. i'll even say it's better then any ride in florida since i haven't been outside florida i can't say the best in the world.

Maybe you can explain this one to me. I don’t recall Disney ever making fun of a Universal attraction in one of their parks…Universal on the other hand has been taking jabs at Disney for a good long time now… Like the Mickey ears hat floating in the water the at the California studios Jurassic Park attraction. The posters outside of MIB also come to mind. Heck, last year’s B&TEA at HHN took a MAJOR jab at them… From my experience at WDW (and I have admittedly had a lot more of it than I have with Universal) they pretty much tend to ignore Universal completely. I’ve also not noticed anything going after Universal in any of Disney’s movies but as with the parks I could have missed something there as well. Please feel free to point out what I’ve missed.

 

[sillyspook13]

Weeeeee, a review!

I saw Shrek 4-D..... and before I give my opinions, let me just make a brief announcement.......

I am a 100% Disney fan. Besides Spiderman and the Horror Makeup Show, I don't much care for the Universal parks. I am extremely biased towards Disney. Thus, I didn't expect much from Shrek 4-D. (Heck, I even wore a Mickey Mouse shirt to Universal that day!)

Having said this, here is my completely biased critical review of Shrek 4-D:

I enjoyed it! I really did! Of course it wasn't perfect, and the effects weren't stunning, but I had fun!

Honestly I thought the Disney jokes were good, clean (OK, so maybe "clean" isn't the word I'm looking for. More like "sibling rivalry-ish") fun. I wasn't offended by the humor at all. In fact, it seemed to me like most of the jokes in the attraction- and the movie- about characters such as Snow White, the Three Pigs, and Pinocchio were poking fun at the fairy tales, not necessarily the Disney films.

But there were some jokes that were obviously aimed towards Disney. (Tinkerbell......) I found these to be silly, but more amusing than the farting and similar gags in the show.

The motion was fun, but confusing at times. Sometimes it's first person, sometimes you were reacting along with the characters, and sometimes you reacted to the characters.

I can see how effects such as heat and smells could have improved the overall experience, but it was ok without. I'll pass on the fart smell...... no thanks.

The only thing that concerns me is the "4-D" label on the attraction's name. (And not because Disney used it first with Muppet-Vision.) The fourth dimension is time- which I'm assuming is referring to the horrendous waits that formed. By mid-morning on a rainy, moderately crowded day the wait time was 95 minutes. Either it's reeeeally popular or guest flow is a major issue. (Fortunately we rode when the park openend that day!)

So for me the experience was pretty painless, and I'd be more than willing to do it again!


P.S. feel free to question me but please, NO FLAMES!!!!!

 

[RozFan]

Very well said SS!

 

[MrPromey]

Re: Weeeeee, a review!

Originally posted by sillyspook13
P.S. feel free to question me but please, NO FLAMES!!!!!

Sorry. Had to do it.

 

[mr snrub]

universal taking jabs at disney wouldnt be AS bad if they weren't stealing all the techniques on all the attractions from disney.

 

[sillyspook13]

Re: Re: Weeeeee, a review!

Originally posted by MrPromey
Sorry. Had to do it.

LOL, that's ok. I'm a pyro!:fork:

 

[Sorcerer Mickey]

universal taking jabs at disney wouldnt be AS bad if they weren't stealing all the techniques on all the attractions from disney.

Why bother making a 4D attraction then? From what I've seen, Disney has pulled off every 4D effect in the book.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Ok...just wondering...

Shrek pokes fun at fairy tales...this isn't a first...and speaking of ripping off ideas...

Anyone hear of the show "Into the Woods?" It's a parody of sorts of all fairy tales (not just Disney-related).