Saturday, April 3, 2010

Revenge of the Mummy Compare and Contrast





This post will deal with the comparison of the 3 incarnations of the Mummy ride in Singapore, Orlando and Hollywood. Check out the previous post for a detailed description of the Singapore incarnation of the ride.

The Universal Studios Singapore, Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida versions of Revenge of the Mummy are essentially the same. They both incorporate dark ride and roller coaster elements to immerse riders in the sinister world of Imhotep and his mummy minions. But there are some subtle and not-so-subtle differences.
Mostly, the differences have to do with real estate. In the Singapore version, the soundstage was built from scratch, while in the USH and USO version, it occupied the E.T. and Kongfrontation soundstages, respectively. The USH and USO soundstages occupy different footprints, while the USS version have an exact duplicate of the USO version. Orlando's and Singapore's larger width, depth, and height allow for a larger, longer ride. The Singapore version also have the advantage of an entire theme land dedicated to the Mummy theme, and since it was built 6 years after the original in USO was built, it also have the advantage of feedback and experience, allowing them to tweak some of the major story and queue elements.
  • Ride Length- One of the major differences is duration. Florida and Singapore's Mummy clocks in at about three minutes, while Hollywood shaves 30 seconds off for about two-and-a-half minutes of fun.
  • The Queue- In Florida, guests supposedly wander onto the movie set for the next 'Mummy" film sequel. Eventually, this morphs into the Mummy's tomb. In Hollywood, the line is shorter, and there's no pretense of a movie set. Guests there enter into the Mummy's tomb from the get-go. And in Singapore incarnation, guests supposedly enter a real tomb in the real Egypt, with not even a single reference to soundstages or filmaking.
  • The Story- In the Singapore version of the ride, the guests have a "mission" to fulfill. They have to find the book of the living to destroy the curse, while in the USO and USH versions, the guests have no real mission.
  • First Encounter- In the SIngapore version of the ride, the first encounter with the Mummy occurs with the Mummy performing a ritual on an archeologist, while in the USO verson, the Mummy jumps out of a coffin and sucks the life out of Reggie, and in the USH version, guests encounters the Mummy much later in the ride.
  • The Launch- In Florida and Singapore, the vehicles launch 45 degrees up into the mouth of the Mummy. In Hollywood, it's a straight, zero-degree launch. Both versions reach top speeds of 45 mph, however.
  • Going Backwards- In Florida and Singapore, the vehicles go backwards early in the ride after encountering the scarabs. The backwards part of the ride only lasts a few seconds as a transition to the next scene. In Hollywood, passengers don't encounter the scarabs until halfway through the coaster part of the attraction. They continue the second half of the coaster ride facing backwards.
  • The Turnaround- In Florida and Singapore, the vehicles drop onto a turntable a few seconds after going backwards and immediately before they launch into the coaster part of the ride. In Hollywood, the vehicles proceed backwards for the second half of the coaster ride and the turntable faces them forwards to the exit area for unloading.
  • The interruption- In the Florida version of the ride, there is a false unloading scene where the Mummy sucks life out of the ride operator and sends guests into the second porton of the ride, while in the Singapore version, the interruption comes when the guests finds the book of the living, and Imhotep pops up, cursing the guests and sending them into the second coaster portion. In the Hollywood version, the interruption is when the vehicle stops in front of the Scarab infested wall.
  • Fire- In Florida and Singapore, the Mummy unleashes a blast of real fire. In Hollywood, the ride uses a "faux" effect to simulate fire.
  • The End- In the Florida version of the ride, the ending of the ride has a video with the coffee gag, while in the Singapore version, the ending features Imhotep trapped in a coffin.

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