Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories

[disney_nutter]

I honestly had no problem with the last show they did, my family and i would have just went to the viewing near Mels and just sit there and people watch and catch up on the day we had a look at photos.

As for this one i cant wait to see it in the summer, i hope they keep it for a few years but will be able to add to it.

 

[nemofinder22]

The waterfall screens look cool but look too much like a movie screens(I guess that's what its suppose to be :shrug, I am excited for Universal to be getting a new nighttime show.

 

[JafarMaleficent]

Debuted tonight. Phenomenal show. Blew me away. And it got a lot of cheers.

 

[nemofinder22]

Video of the show- http://youtu.be/bUcLd0fqoCo

The front and rear projection really does provide a great clear image on the waterfall screens.

 

[NemoRocks78]

What a show! While I was one of 360's biggest fans, I have to say this definitely comes together a lot better. Can't wait to see it in person.

 

[TalkingHead]

I only watched bits and pieces, but I wasn't too impressed with what I saw.

It's a montage of movie moments, not unlike the end of the GMR. With water effects off to the side.

The screens and other effects don't seem to be integrated very effectively. The overall effect, from what I saw, looked somewhat chaotic. If I was there in person I'd probably watch the clips and mostly miss the water effects off to the sides.

Maybe it works better in person.

 

[AmongMadPeople]

I only watched bits and pieces, but I wasn't too impressed with what I saw.

It's a montage of movie moments, not unlike the end of the GMR. With water effects off to the side.

The screens and other effects don't seem to be integrated very effectively. The overall effect, from what I saw, looked somewhat chaotic. If I was there in person I'd probably watch the clips and mostly miss the water effects off to the sides.

Maybe it works better in person.

When describing it to someone today, I also said it was like the end of GMR on water screens. I'm guessing that seeing it in person would be more moving and engaging than a youtube clip at my desk, but I don't know. We'll be visiting a few days before it's schedule to premier, so unless we catch another test run, I'll have to reserve my final opinion.

 

[maxairmike]

Finally got a chance to see it, and wow...this thing puts the water screen/projection tech of Fantasmic squarely in its sad, deplorable place! I was already impressed after watching the cool patterns and logos they were making with just the water from the water screens during the pre-show. Some very intricate, moving lines, movie logos such as ET, Jurassic Park, Jaws...oh, and did I mention no projectors were involved? Yep, the screens can create shapes and moving patterns/images just with the water flow!

While the show is little more than water screens on steroids, intermittent fireworks, and some fountains, it still managed to impress me, mainly because of the great water screen and projection tech they used. They do use a few of the Fantasmic style water screens, but merely as add-ons, and never as a main "screen" for the show footage, and their inferiority is very clear. The top-down, controlled flow combined with higher definition projections made for a picture that at times seemed like it was being projected on a real movie screen, not a water screen. There was very minimal mist to "expand" or distort the image unlike the Fantasmic screens.

Admittedly, if you haven't been a big fan of Universal's movies over the long haul, you probably won't really care for it as a total show. However, there is certainly no denying after seeing this that Fantasmic's projections and water screens are pitiful (the water screens more so than just the projection, because even with the new HD projectors being used on the old style screens for this show, the improvement was very marginal).

Overall, I would give it a solid B+/A- for my first viewing. I can see it becoming a little stale, and not sure I will go out of my way to see it, but then I also pretty much avoid Fantasmic anyway. Although not having to be in a suffocatingly large crowd an hour or more before just to have a chance at seeing it is another thing this show has going for it, so I may see it more often, since I tend to visit Universal in the evenings anyway.

 

[Timekeeper]

Finally saw this show live. I very, very, very much enjoyed this. I'm the kind of person who looks forward to the film montages on movie awards shows like when an actor, director, or composer is honored on the Oscars. This was great.

One of the most impressive (and not often discussed) features of the water screens is the top-down "printing" of iconic movie silhouettes during the pre show, such as Jaws, Psycho, etc. The nozzles work much like the nozzles on an inkjet printer. But rather than paper moving through the printer, gravity pulls the "sheet" of water down, creating a silhouette image. The nozzles need to have an impeccable degree of control over the amounts and frequency of water released.

This is pretty amazing by itself. While watching this online, a lot of people probably assume that the silhouettes are just projections on the water screens. This is not the case. The images are actually being created by water and the absence of water, being "printed" as the water falls. Pretty cool! :sohappy:

 

[matt_taylor1985]

I caught this last week with my wife and we both loved it. I think it really gets to you much like the GMR (or it does to me). The pyrotechnics were also quite impressive. We decided to catch it in May in case it's not there when we go back in September (interestingly it leaves it open to HHN clips showing movie clips over the nights of the events?).

 

[dave&di]

The show time and dates it's not on have been released, I'm going in Sept but the park normally closes at 6pm so how do it work if the show is at 9pm?

 

[StageFrenzy]

The show time and dates it's not on have been released, I'm going in Sept but the park normally closes at 6pm so how do it work if the show is at 9pm?

show would be at 7?

 

[dave&di]

show would be at 7?

At the moment they say the show is 9pm nightly, it won't be dark by 7pm in Sept, plus the parks have shut at 6pm in the past? Will they keep the park open but close the rides just leaving selected eateries until the shows over?

 

[Tom Morrow]

I saw it during soft opening. I thought it was okay, but like said, its little more than a big movie montage. But then again, so is Fantasmic. The main water screens are really neat, but the fountains and smaller water screens were not used as effectively to compliment the show as they could have been. Rather than having the big movie screen playing the entire time, they could have alternated your focus between the screens and the water.

Also could have used more pyro, but I know Universal can't do a whole lot of that due to residential areas close by.