Review: Fast & Furious: Supercharged at Universal Orlando

Fast and Furious: Supercharged has begun Technical Rehearsals (called Soft Openings) at Universal Orlando Resort.

We were able to check out the new attraction today, which will eventually have the Virtual Line setup that the newer Universal Orlando attractions have.  Today, however, it was not available.

So what did we think of the attraction? Well I can tell you this - it’s neither fast or furious.  However, I want to go over some of the positives and negatives from the attraction, laid out by QueuePre-Shows, and the Ride Experience.

Let’s start with the Queue.  This is the attraction’s strong point- one of the very few strong points.  The queue begins outside, where you walk past a patio type area with beer bottles and a grill.  In the background, you can hear the sound of cars racing.

From there, you enter the warehouse.

Inside the Warehouse, as you can guess, we find cars from the movies are on display, and a “mixtape” of Fast & Furious clips are shown throughout.  Party type music is also blaring on the speakers.  It creates a really fun environment.

The queue is incredibly well themed and has a ton of props and photo opportunities. The queue looks and feels like a real factory and hideout for the Fast & Furious family.  It also has a ton of Easter Eggs from past attractions, include this homage to Earthquake and Disaster.

Once you meander through the queue, you then venture into the first of two Pre-Shows.

The Pre-Shows themselves are a return to the days of spieled entertainment at Universal Orlando and it’s nice to have that aspect back.  However, there is little value or entertainment value to the horrible script and dialogue in the next two rooms.

In room one, the “Break Room” (or Family Room as they call it), a spieler attempts to entertain the crowd by making them show their best dance move.  The overhead monitors then come on, and the story starts, featuring characters from the films. The video in this room is flat out corny and awful, it tries to be too serious and ends up falling flat.

From there, you head into the “War Room.”  This area is well themed, but again, the script and dialogue is awful. The actor on the stage acts as if it is their first day on the job. This comes off as horrible, fake and stupid. Why would a rookie be working in a “War Room”? I’d much rather have some “well trained bad ass” tell me what’s up instead of a terribly awkward “rookie”.  We dive a bit more into the “story” as stars from The Fast & Furious talk to the crowd via the monitors.

So now it’s time to board the Party Bus.  Almost a clone of the Kong vehicle, it operates exactly the same with load.  There are two buses per cycle.  Like Kong, depending on where you sit, you may get a blocked view.

This brings us to the Ride Experience.  If you have experienced the Universal Studios Hollywood version of this, you will, for the most part, experience the same thing.  Besides the first minute or so of the ride, it is a clone of Hollywood.  In addition - that first minute or so of the ride is the only good thing about the entire ride experience.  It quickly goes downhill after that.

The first part of the ride almost brings you back to Earthquake/Disaster.  The Party Bus goes through a dark tunnel, with projections of a dark street on the walls, simulating that you are driving down a road.  This was another strong point to the attraction - very well done.

The next room leads you into an awesome looking show scene with more Fast & Furious cars on display. This scene is massive and very detailed, it reminds me of Kongfrontation or The Great Movie Ride. Unfortunately from there you make a right turn and this is where it begins the Hollywood version of the attraction.  The same scenes (such as scenes at the party and FBI break in) are projected digitally just like the west coast version.

The party scene is awful. Just flat out terrible. You pull in and see dancers, then some cheesy acting. The FBI Agent’s voice is dubbed over what he was originally recorded saying so his mouth movement doesn’t line up with what we hear.

Finally, you begin the action in the last show room with the 360 video. This room is not in 3D, unlike the west coast version. This scene is fun, has lots of fog and excitement. It’s stupid fun. Vin Diesel is bigger than the helicopter that he’s holding on to, the animation is awful, but it’s fun.

The chase scene begins, and you are suddenly outside in the daylight? This contradicts the night party you were supposed to originally be attending on the Party Bus?  In the chase scene, various parts of the video are hard to see, because the clunky ride vehicle and side moldings of the 360 room get in the way. One thing that is cool is that you can see the action in front of the bus through the glass - an interesting viewpoint depending on where you are sitting.

Before you know it, the film abruptly ends, and you find your way back at the unload station.  There really isn’t any wrap-up of the story, but rather a very awkward movement out of the 360 room.

Closing Thoughts

So where does this rank amongst the newer rides at Universal Orlando?  I would say it’s a step up from Fallon and a step down from Kong.  I really have no desire to rush out and experience it again.  The entire experience is lackluster compared to other theme parks rides.  Even though the queue is great, the ride doesn’t pay off.  Between the cheesy dialogue, and the poor ride experience overall, it just doesn’t cut it as a “good theme park attraction”. It’s a fun ride, but by no means is it a masterpiece of themed design and storytelling.

I will venture out to see if again after Technical Rehearsals to see if anything has changed.  If not, this won’t be on my list of must rides when visiting the park in the future.

Check out the video below for a walk-through of the queue and pre-shows, along with a POV of the ride.

  • Fast and Furious: Supercharged Universal Orlando
  • Queue
3

18
Leave a Reply

avatar
17 Comment threads
1 Thread replies
1 Followers
 
Most reacted comment
Hottest comment thread
18 Comment authors
JohnTaahiSamVanessa TalloTrevon Brown Recent comment authors
  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of
Tim
Guest
Tim

The ride’s storyline and timeline make absolutely no sense. Due to that and it being a hybrid replica of two existing rides in the chain, I put it below Fallon. At least Fallon has decent usage of barbershop quintets and waiting area seating. Solid review!

PATRICK
Guest
PATRICK

Man. I sooo wanted this to be better than Hollywood’s, and it was event tooted as supposedly being better than Hollywood’s.
But to not even have 3d????
Thanks for the review and your sacrifice, bra!!!
Gonna have to say that I at least rode

BAD
Guest
BAD

Did anyone notice in the 360 room that the left side screen was waaaay too far away. If you are on the left side of the vehicle the whole ride experience is terrible.

John
Guest
John

…and if you are sitting along the outside edge you can see the top of the screen wall the ceiling of the show building, the projectors at the top of the building. It was like watching a move filmed behind the actual cameras so your illusion is pretty much ruined. Had high hopes but seems like this one was a we need a “New” attraction, but let’s not spend too much on it and hope no one notices.

Adam
Guest
Adam

This ride is the worst ride at Universal now, except for maybe The Simpsons. Everyone in my group was severely let down by it. We went to the Jimmy Fallon ride right after this and all of us enjoyed it way more than this clunker. This thing didn’t make you feel like you were moving, let along being fast and furious. I guess the lack of seat belts should have warned us not to expect much from it. And the acting in the videos was sooooo bad. I’m looking at you, Vin Diesel! Major step down for Universal.

Sigmund
Guest
Sigmund

It was just flat out HORRIBLE! The only good thing about it was all the cars honestly.

Andrew
Guest
Andrew

Went to Universal specifically for opening weekend of Fast & Furious - what a tremendous let down. How does a new attraction flop so badly? There is no thrill or excitement. The best part is waiting in line and seeing the cars everything else was a tumble downhill. An an annual pass holder I can say, I won’t waste time going on this ride again.

Marius Popescu
Guest
Marius Popescu

Honestly this ride was beyond disappointing. It was a bad idea and basically just trying to get away with using the same technology as kong and push even more people through while lacking quality. It’s quantity instead of quality and it really ruins universals reputation for me.

Latoyia
Guest
Latoyia

I rode this ride today and the stanby line was 60mins but we opted to use the virtual line and came back at a scheduled time and total wait was 25 mins to get on the party bus,once on it wasnt what i imagined and king kong was better,Would have been better if they made it an indoor coaster. And its overrated.

Sheena
Guest
Sheena

This was the worst ride ever you walk 45 minutes to get in a 2 minute ride that was not even realistic at all it wasn’t even 3 or 4 D. What ever water that was they had smelled like straight fish when it was suppose to be like we got wet. You had to see everything on the right side which if you were sitting on the left you couldn’t see anything. I can’t believe Universal Studios would even open a kiddie ride like this. Money and time waste on this ride. Very disappointed! The the park closed at… Read more »

Bill Vinzant
Guest
Bill Vinzant

I agree with this author, my wife and are power pass holders and we have been anxiously awaiting this ride, incredible let down. This ranks lo with us, behind Simpson’s, Transformers, the Mummy, the ride and storyline were simply not good

Jen weeks
Guest
Jen weeks

We were soooooooooo mad we wasted almost 2 hrs in line on our last day there for this ride that is so so soooo bad. I can’t even describe how bad it was. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!!!

Andi
Guest
Andi

SCREW THIS RIDE AND SCREW UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FOR MAKING ALL THEIR RIDES THE FREAKING SAME. IF I WANTED TO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING GRAND THEFT AUTO WHILE MOVING I WOULD HAVE JUST HAD MY BROTHER SHAKE MY CHAIR WHILE I STAYED IN MY ROOM AND PLAYED THE GAME INSTEAD OF DRIVING TO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS AND WAITING FOR THE LAME RIDE. WE ALREADY HAVE ONE RIDE WITH THAT GIANT ASS UGLY BUS AT LEAST THAT ONE HAS A GIANT GORILLA. THE ONLY THING THAT MADE THIS RIDE SEMI TOLERABLE WAS THE FACT THAT MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ IS SO HOT. I WAS… Read more »

Mike
Guest
Mike

I sat in the middle, second car. From that seat you Could not see much. The ride reminded me of fast version of disaster. I was Highly disappointed with the ride.

Trevon Brown
Guest
Trevon Brown

this ride is the dumbest ride it shoulnt even be called supercharged it made abusolute no since you rode on a party bus for 5 mph hour nothing was cool on dont waste your time on this ride i went for my gradbash and it ruined my gradbash but do go on spider man and transformers.

Vanessa Tallo
Guest
Vanessa Tallo

Tremendous disappointment! I will never ride again unless it changes! They could’ve done so much better with this.

Sam
Guest
Sam

I am not only an annual pass holder but also a HUGH fan of F&F. With that being said, I am DEEPLY disappointed in this attraction. The family table and warehouse were very exciting as you can relate it to the actual movie. Once I boarded the “party bus” things went downhill abruptly. Whoever thought of this storyline with Owen Shaw and the FBI coming after us as we are headed to an afterparty…maybe wouldn’t have been such a let down if it was in the act of a roller coaster or that of what The Mummy, Escape from Gringotts… Read more »

Taahi
Guest
Taahi

This ride sucks!!!! I guess if I had to give a physical description of just how painfully bad this ride is on a scale of 0-10….10 being: delivering a baby with zero pain medication, I’d say it’s a 15….and I delivered 2 babies in the same day. Save you energy and time and do not get in line.