Review - The Walking Dead - Universal Hollywood
As with any attraction based on a big brand, film or TV show, if you’re a fan of the property then generally, you will love the attraction (unless they completely screw things up). Fortunately we are massive fans of AMC's The Walking Dead, and we genuinely loved the new Walking Dead Attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Immediately, the theming and sets that Universal are so famous for, stand out upon entering the attraction. The main queue is set inside the hospital where Rick Grimes first woke up. Any fans of the show will remember this from the very first episode, and with the flickering lights and booming soundtrack, It really built up the anticipation for the main event.
Within the queue was one of the most impressive set pieces of the whole attraction - the "dead inside" door. The famous hospital doors, which have seemingly many zombies behind them, trying to push through was incredible to see "live" Although no actors where utilized in the queue line, it still created just the amount of tension for the waiting theme park crowds.
Finally, the wait was over and we entered the main part of the attraction. From here, we walked walk through all the different environments of the TV show, such as Herschel's Farm, the prison and of course Atlanta city, just to name a few. However here is where a number of issues arose. The batching of the attraction was a free-flow style, meaning that there was just a constant line of people moving through the attraction at one time. this was very unlike here in the UK, where our attractions batch through in smaller groups, and with spaces to create a sense of isolation when moving through. Due to this constant "conga line", the actors had no time to ‘reset’ their scares, so it was often the case where we would see an actor moving back into their space. This ruined any element of surprise in many of the planned scares!.
Despite this, the sets throughout were incredible and it was hard to comprehend the attention to detail throughout, It really was the kind of quality and complex design in each room, that you would expect from a world class film production company.
Overall, the attraction was incredibly impressive, and would satisfy anys fan of the show. Even if you have never watched it and found yourself in Universal Studios Hollywood, we would suggest taking a peek inside. Even with no knowledge of the franchise - the sheer magnitude of the attraction would impress anyone. Trust us when we say that it is dead good fun!
Immediately, the theming and sets that Universal are so famous for, stand out upon entering the attraction. The main queue is set inside the hospital where Rick Grimes first woke up. Any fans of the show will remember this from the very first episode, and with the flickering lights and booming soundtrack, It really built up the anticipation for the main event.
Within the queue was one of the most impressive set pieces of the whole attraction - the "dead inside" door. The famous hospital doors, which have seemingly many zombies behind them, trying to push through was incredible to see "live" Although no actors where utilized in the queue line, it still created just the amount of tension for the waiting theme park crowds.
Finally, the wait was over and we entered the main part of the attraction. From here, we walked walk through all the different environments of the TV show, such as Herschel's Farm, the prison and of course Atlanta city, just to name a few. However here is where a number of issues arose. The batching of the attraction was a free-flow style, meaning that there was just a constant line of people moving through the attraction at one time. this was very unlike here in the UK, where our attractions batch through in smaller groups, and with spaces to create a sense of isolation when moving through. Due to this constant "conga line", the actors had no time to ‘reset’ their scares, so it was often the case where we would see an actor moving back into their space. This ruined any element of surprise in many of the planned scares!.
Despite this, the sets throughout were incredible and it was hard to comprehend the attention to detail throughout, It really was the kind of quality and complex design in each room, that you would expect from a world class film production company.
Overall, the attraction was incredibly impressive, and would satisfy anys fan of the show. Even if you have never watched it and found yourself in Universal Studios Hollywood, we would suggest taking a peek inside. Even with no knowledge of the franchise - the sheer magnitude of the attraction would impress anyone. Trust us when we say that it is dead good fun!
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