Ride Review: Don't Bother Rushing to Universal's New Attractions

As you enter an Egyptian tomb, you hear messages being whispered, just slightly. “Ir reremetch neb akteefee er is pen em abooef yooef kher sehoor en ii-em-hetep. Tepooat poo moot.”(“Whomever shall defile this tomb shall suffer the curse of Imhotep! Death is only the beginning.”) You board mine cars and are rocketed under and over mummies through total darkness, and brave a sandstorm. You narrowly escape the curse of the mummy, then go up an escalator, to another new attraction, and enter a vampire’s castle. There you find Van Helsing, monster hunter, in a tight spot surrounded by Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the werewolf. You walk under the snapping jaws of the werewolf, finally done, but ready for more. This can only happen in Hollywood. Universal Studios Hollywood to be exact, with the opening of two new attractions: “Revenge of the Mummy” and “Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula.”

Universal Studios Hollywood opened their newest attraction June 25, “Revenge of the Mummy,” a new indoor roller coaster housed where the “E.T. Adventure” was. This ride is OK, but nothing to rush right out and see. I heard people talking on their way out of the ride, comparing it to Disneyland’s “Indiana Jones Adventure,” so that seems to be the ruler that this ride is measured by.

It starts out in the elaborate line and waiting area. Made up to look like an ancient Egyptian tomb, it has accurate hieroglyphics, and messages whispered in Egyptian over a speaker system.

Riders board mine cars and start their journey slowly, seeing a mummy rise from the dead, then going around another turn into an ancient Egyptian tomb filled with a pharoah’s riches. Imhotep, the pharaoh, comes on a screen, and speaks to the riders. The mine car goes around another turn and Imhotep is on a ledge, and he says that all of the rider’s souls are taken. A wind blows, and the mine car is rocketed into Imhotep’s spirit world in total darkness except for his neon warrior mummy spirit apparitions and little green lights on the tracks. The final scene of the ride is a “sand storm,” really just orange lights and special effects fog.

The little green lights on the tracks show you where you’re going, so that takes the fun out of the total darkness. And at the end of the ride, there is no closure. In Indiana Jones, you see the rolling ball is stopped, and you know that Indy is OK. For this ride, you just drive out of the sandstorm. That’s it.

Part of all theme park rides is the promotional store next door. This store sells scarabs and goth merchandise when it could be so much more. As an Egyptian buff, I know that the real book of the dead and evil gods of mythology are scarier than skulls and fire, which is what is associated with the Mummy ride.

Overall, the “Revenge of the Mummy” was OK, but not great. This ride gets a 2.5 out of 5. I would much rather go on the other new attraction, “Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula.” This walk-through is where the Mummy’s tomb walk-through used to be. Sets and props are housed in this attraction, with costumed characters jumping out and scaring park-goers. This attraction was infinitely better than the movie, which is a good thing, because the movie was a good story, poorly executed. The ride doesn’t tell the story, but if you’ve seen the movie, it’s very, very cool to experience. This attraction is worth the price for admission. I give it 4 and three-quarters out of 5.

I can’t say rush out and get to the park now, but if you like Van Helsing, and little green lights on a dark track surrounded by neon mummies, check it out.