HP FJ sux.What am I missing

[humphreydog]

Love H P Land at IOA and love HP. Love the atmosphere and que.. the ride sux...being shuffled from room to room on the car seeing cheap unbelievable props (spider, tree, etc.) thrown at you repeatedly and blurry vision on the large screen just doesn't do it for me...How come I feel that spiderman (yes spiderman) is more believable than fj.

Am I the only one or the first to admit it?

 

[tarrbear]

I think you are the only one who thinks that, I loved the ride, I thought it was fantastic! Nor did I find the screens blurry, but hey, to each thier own

 

[damo]

I know people who like Spiderman better but they certainly don't think FJ sucks.

 

[DOOM1001]

I've heard others say the ride is not the best or as good as Spider-Man,I think it's a very good fun ride with my only criticism being the video screens being too blurry.I always thought when the area was getting built how overhyped the whole HP area was and my biggest worry was if the new main ride is a big let down that the whole HP area would be a bust,but after riding the ride I didn't think the ride was a let down at all,are the videos blurry yes and I wonder if that's something they could improve in the future,but by no means is the ride a bust.

 

[Hombre59]

I thought the ride was amazing, I didn't have much problem with the screens. I thought the whole robotic arm moving you around like it was was fantastic and better than spider man, just my opinion. I haven't heard any complaints personally from family/friends that have ridden other then they get nausea (even though they get that on every ride of that caliber)

 

[nodoubtrock]

i agree completely. i like spiderman a lot more..i even like the fj que more than the ride.. i find it to just be a bunch of blurry screens (except at the end i could actually see those screens clearly) and a bunch of fake looking props.. the whole time i saw the tree..i was like wow that looks really fake..even the trees in ET look a lot better than the tree on fj.

 

[Planogirl]

I loved the ride but to each their own. I think that it's a hoot and very creative.

 

[disneysteve]

I definitely think it was way over-hyped. It is basically Spiderman with some added mechanical features. The screens are blurry. The effects are too intense for many people. My wife, who has never gotten motion sickness on anything including roller coasters, spinning rides, cruise ships, etc., got nauseous on FJ and won't ever ride it again. Our daughter (14) who loves HP didn't enjoy the ride. She liked the actual ride mechanism but didn't like the in-your-face effects like the dragon, giant spiders and dementors. She won't ride it again either.

I think the queue is great. I think the motion simulator aspect is great. I think the overall experience is worth doing. I just think it is a shame that they had to make their premier attraction something that a great many guests won't be able to ride. It is too scary for many children even though children make up a big part of the HP audience. It is too physically rough for many adults.

I'll ride it again if we ever go back but my family won't.

 

[figmentgirl]

Never ridden FJ. Excited to try it this October. Just had a question based on all of the previous posts.
Everyone keeps saying the footage is blurry. Why on earth would such an expensive operation have blurry images?

 

[damo]

Never ridden FJ. Excited to try it this October. Just had a question based on all of the previous posts.
Everyone keeps saying the footage is blurry. Why on earth would such an expensive operation have blurry images?

The large images are projected onto small, very arched domes and your vehicle moves along beside it at a very close distance. These images are squiched so that the perspective is maintained as you move past them. It isn't just a simple matter of projecting an HD image onto a flat screen that you view from far away.

The effects--spiders, whomping willow, dementors--- are pretty much identical to the movies where they are larger than life. They really aren't supposed to be realistic. People who have at least seen the movies really should have some idea of what they may be in for during the ride. It is a dark ride made from a dark series.

I also disagree about the ride being rough. It is extremely smooth, much smoother than Spiderman. So much so that your glasses and flip flops don't even fall off

Universal makes thrill rides. There was no way this was going to be a sit in a boat and watch the scenery type of ride.

 

[disneysteve]

Universal makes thrill rides. There was no way this was going to be a sit in a boat and watch the scenery type of ride.

That's actually a very good point. This was our first visit to Universal and we didn't realize in advance how true this was. One of my friends who got back shortly before we left told me that Disney is all about sights, sounds, music, smells and feelings while Universal is all about an adrenaline jolt. Having been there now, I have to agree. And with that in mind, FJ fits the mold perfectly. It is beautifully themed. The queue is great. And the ride itself is quite an experience. It just isn't right for everyone.

 

[Hombre59]

I don't see this ride has being jerky or rough for myself, i actually find it pretty relaxing.

 

[henry72]

My husband and I loved the ride - even better than Spiderman. None of the scenes were blurry for us. And having seen the movies, I think the props were perfect. I can see that the ride will scare some children but I didn't find it to jerky or rough of a ride.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I didnt find the props fake looking at all, but very much like those described in the books and shown in the films. The Whomping Willow is not supposed to look like a typical tree(such as those in ET). It is meant to look character like with it's own personality and anger problems. Same with the spiders, they are not meant to look like typical spiders, as they are characters in the book(complete with the abilty to speak).

These props are supposed to be bigger than life and non-realistic as they are magic. The only props I thought could've been done better were the Dementors. As a Potter-nut they just seemed a little too "haunted house skeleton on a stick" like for me. I was hoping for a darker more fear inducing version of them, but understand it's hard to do with physical materials.

 

[humphreydog]

2 more time today... I am still going on it....The quue was finally slow today and I am understanding the story a little more. Most universal rides have a goal but I can't figure this one out. We cut class, a dragon attacks us and ruins building and we are applauded by the whole Hogwarts personell and student body. Is this the message we want to be sending to our kids? Or am I just reading into it too deeply?

Love the que....don't understand the whole theme...hate the dementors on a stick (dementor popsickles) coming at me

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I hope the screen isn't that bad. My DH won't ride Soarin, because he thinks the video is bad. Well, I won't ride Soarin either, but that's because I'm afraid of heights & they put me in the first row. I thought I'd have a heart attack, before they let me off. I didn't have a problem with the video, but I can still watch tv that *gasp* isn't in HD. My DH would rather turn it off. This may be one of the cases where some people are more discerning about video quality than others.

On a side note, Spiderman is my favorite ride anywhere, so FJ will need to be amazing to be better than Spidey to me.

 

[disneysteve]

The only props I thought could've been done better were the Dementors. As a Potter-nut they just seemed a little too "haunted house skeleton on a stick" like for me.

That is exactly how I described them. Since when are they skeletons? I'm surprised J.K. Rowling approved that one.

 

[lachica]

2 more time today... I am still going on it....The quue was finally slow today and I am understanding the story a little more. Most universal rides have a goal but I can't figure this one out. We cut class, a dragon attacks us and ruins building and we are applauded by the whole Hogwarts personell and student body. Is this the message we want to be sending to our kids? Or am I just reading into it too deeply?

Love the que....don't understand the whole theme...hate the dementors on a stick (dementor popsickles) coming at me

Well the thing is you aren't cutting class as you are the first muggles to tour the castle. Harry, Ron, and Hermione invite you watch the quidditch match instead of continuing on with Professor Binns' lecture on the history of the school. The ride seats are technically benches from the quidditch stadium.

I suggest you read wikipedia's link on the ride to get a feel for the story.

 

[damo]

That is exactly how I described them. Since when are they skeletons? I'm surprised J.K. Rowling approved that one.

The dementors are the same as the ones in the 5th movie, Order of the Phoenix.

In my head the demontors are more like ringwraiths, but that is just my vision.

 

[humphreydog]

Please forgive me for dissin' HP, I shouldn't have to read wikepedia to learn about what's happening on the ride. It is mentioned by HP(i think) about the bench very vaguely and quickly. Now I am starting to get it, I am a muggle (of course...just like all the muggles with their muggle t shirts) and I am the first muggle to tour the castle and audit the class. But I choose not to, i choose to cut the class, I choose to let the dementors follow me and I choose to wreck the castle. I am applauded by the $6.25 pumpkin juice drinking student body and invited back to hogwarts any time because of my actions which should lead to me being expelled.

I have never heard of a magic flying bench in the HP novels...shouldn't I be on a broomstick instead? Even when I am saving the green planet on ET I am on a bicycle, shouldn't I be on a broomstick at least. How did someone (JK) who fabricated the urine stained, green algae covered bathrooms permit this?

3 more days to figure it out....see you at 8 am Saturday....I am the one pushing the green jogging stroller.