FilmEdge reviews the new KING KONG 360 3-D attraction now open at Universal Studios Hollywood
July 1, 2010 — Last week FilmEdge attended the employee preview of Universal Studios Hollywood's newest attraction, KING KONG 360 3-D, a tram tour "mini-sequel" to Peter Jackson's chest-thumping tale of the famous film ape.
Physical sets and creatures seen in Universal's previous KONG incarnation have been replaced with massive wrap-around movie screens for a 360-degree experience using state-of-the-art CG cinema and practical special effects to immerse studio guests in the prehistoric world of Skull Island.
As Kong and a trio of carnivorous dinosaurs battle for domination of this primeval jungle, guests will see and feel the dangerous adventure around them in what Universal bills as the world's largest 3-D experience. Now officially rampaging only at Universal Studios Hollywood, preview KING KONG 360 3-D before you experience it this summer if you dare!
WELCOME TO SKULL ISLAND
Created by KONG remake director Peter Jackson, Universal unleashes their new tram tour venture to Skull Island to revisit King Kong, not seen on the Studio backlot since the massive fire which burned down the previous Kong attraction along with much of the historic exterior sets. Near the backlot location of the venerable Collapsing Bridge, your tram driver winds the vehicles up a curving hillside path and around to enter a stony cave entrance, disembodied skulls and spears warning of the peril awaiting you.
A video introduction by Jackson prepares you for your journey back in time and far away from Southern California civilization as the tram slowly proceeds into the dark tunnel. Unable to see further ahead in the dark, the tram stops and quite suddenly the tropical wilderness of Skull Island emerges from the gloom, surrounding you in 3-D. Tracking through the jungle overgrowth, your tram stumbles into a trio of T-Rex behemoths, devouring their latest prey. They cease fighting each other for scraps now that the tram smorgasbord has arrived and the dinos attack. Clawed feet kick at your vehicle and massive tails batter the tram, shaking you in your seats. Dinner is about to be served.
Suddenly loud roars echo from the distance as trees and stones tumble nearby, distracting the Rexes — it's Kong, breaking in to challenge the dinosaurs and momentarily sparing your lives. He attacks the Rex on your right, wrestling for supremacy while the two dinos on the left continue their attack. Their gaping mouths roar, spraying you with spit as the breeze from their whipping tails ruffles your hair and nerves. Kong overpowers one Rex then leaps across the tram to tackle the others, your tram shuddering under the giant ape's weight. Outnumbered, the T-Rexes take turns fighting Kong and clawing at the tram, attempting to drag the tail-end car away for a snack. Soon the entire tram is sliding down into a vine-netted ravine, the dinos ripping the tram cars like canned sardines! Kong battles furiously to keep your tram from plummeting into the chasm as he battles the remaining dinos to the death. At last, Kong rules alone and he struggles to lift your tram back onto solid ground above the chasm, where your driver can pull ahead and out of this primeval world to safety again.
THE MAKING OF KING KONG 360 3-D
Director Peter Jackson and visual effects artists from WETA Digital in New Zealand brought Kong to life again on the Universal backlot by creating the world's largest 3-D projection installation ever produced (according to the Studio's fact sheet). Two seamless, curved screens, 187 feet wide by 40 feet high, flank the tram's position in arcs along both sides, effectively wrapping tram riders' point of view in cinematic action. The attraction requires 16 ultra-high definition projectors to fill these massive screens with 3-D digital imagery backed by an equally amped-up surround audio system. Kong and the dinos are projected at 60 frames per second, creating a smoothly flowing image and enhancing the realism of this fantastic fight of titans around you.
Hydraulic lift plates under the tram rock the vehicles in sync with the on-screen action to further erase the perception boundaries between you and the creatures. Mini fans and tube systems blow air and squirt water at tram riders from side pylons flanking the vehicles for added sensory thrills.
REVIEW OF KING KONG 360 3-D
Risen from the ashes, Kong returns in this 3-D film experience which may be ground-breaking in theme park technology, but isn't far enough removed from the 3-D experience you can view at your local theater to be a truly revolutionary experience. The sound and fury of Kong's battle with his roaring T-Rex foes definitely immerse you in this titanic showdown, and the filmed battle makes great use of 3-D visual effects to simulate the lethal dangers found in the jungle. What may disappoint some attraction aficionados (like me) is that viewers may never escape the sense that they just entered into the world's most sophisticated drive-in theater, containing too little of the set decoration magic which is the hallmark of Universal's studio-based entertainment. In short, there needs to be more Skull Island on Skull Island for this 3-D sensory illusion to truly sweep our imaginations away to the lost world where Kong reigns.
When King Kong last created havoc on Universal's Hollywood backlot, tram riders were surrounded by the reality of a city neighborhood in fiery, crumbling ruins left behind the in the ape's rampage. And while the Kong creature eventually seen in the finale was certainly a theme park-generation behind today's digital version, he also left nothing to the imagination (you could even smell his banana breath). As photo realistic and virtually adept Jackson's Kong is, even viewed in 3-D he remains a film character. The computer-generated illusion is more sophisticated, but watching a brilliantly-made film of a 30-foot-tall gorilla simply can't offer the palpable experience of seeing a 30-foot-tall gorilla before your eyes, even if he is bolted to the floor.
Not to say the 3-D experience isn't entertaining, it delivers a 21st century attraction experience that for now stands in a category by itself. Jackson and crew cleverly play with three-dimensional space on Skull Island to delightful effect. Synchronizing the tilting motion base as the film nearly tosses viewers over the chasm's edge is a great eye and mind fooler, the potential drop to a collective demise in the pit made believable by the crystal clear 3-D projection. The wind and water spraying effects add some physical stimuli to the illusion, and reportedly some scents (creature bad breath) are also part of the show, but I couldn't detect it at last week's preview. In short, the attraction film works as well as Jackson's theatrical movie did in bringing Kong to life, if not a bit better in technical terms — but as previewed it remains very much a movie presentation and less a totally immersive experience in Universal Studio's own terms.
The general lack of physical set decoration within the show 'soundstage' itself surprised me, as more props might have blended the transition from tram vehicle to cinematic Skull Island for a more realistic view. On the other hand, it may have been Universal's intent for the film to already be running as the tram enters — this was not the case at last week's preview. In fact, the show didn't even work for our first tram ride through, but given it was an early preview this is quite forgivable. On our second attempt, we sat in darkness for a good 45 seconds before Skull Island revealed itself on-screen. Even with high-def 3-D and motion base activity ensuing, riders never escaped the feeling their tram had stopped in a dark theater to watch a movie. If there are to be no rows of ferns, bushes and logs between tram and screen to fill the conceptual gap, then I'd wish the film was already running as trams enter so that viewers feel Skull Island exists and awaits them inside the soundstage. Simply 'starting the movie' after everyone's quietly seated in the 'theater' only reinforces the reality of watching a film, and thus deflating the illusion that Skull Island and Kong exist, as fans and tourists who flock to USH this summer want to believe, at least for a few minutes. Also the pylons which house the wind and spray effects simply flanked either side of the tram without any thematic disguise — we can only hope some plastic ferns or at least some paint soon help disguise these ride elements in Skull Island fashion.
Speaking of which, the show is also a bit shorter than expected, running less than three minutes of on-screen time. Granted, capacity is the name of the game for the backlot tour, but this show time is roughly half of what the King Kong Encounter ran at USH before. Indeed it's quite a creative and filmmaking challenge to design and direct a five-minute movie scene that's never interrupted by an editing cut, but if TERMINATOR 2: 3-D can blend edits and scene changes for 12 minutes and effectively disguise its film-based concept, surely Jackson, WETA and Universal could have lengthened KONG 360 by another minute to extend the fun it offers.
KONG 360 is also a bit tamer than its CG preview clips imply: for all the rocking and rolling trams experience as the ape and dinos collide, USH's EARTHQUAKE attraction still shakes more violently amid the physical set chaos around it. Perhaps Universal awaits feedback from its guests, but we'd like to feel a bit more physical impact from these filmed creatures battling near, above and below us. This would go a long way to reinforcing the sensory reality of this fantasy adventure.
I look forward to KING KONG 360 3-D growing into its new home on the backlot: hopefully some vegetation and Skull Island scenery will soon enhance the stone cave entrance next to the Collapsing Bridge (which itself could be rethemed to the Kong-land aesthetic to match its neighbor). We'll certainly take a second look at KONG to catch more of the details in the show, as 360 degrees of 3-D action is too much to take in at one viewing, as Universal no doubt counts upon for repeat visitors.
FilmEdge applauds USH's phoenix-like resurrection of its backlot sets and attractions, and it's great to see Universal Studios Hollywood continue to make motion picture and themed entertainment history in 21st century style.
Created by KONG remake director Peter Jackson, Universal unleashes their new tram tour venture to Skull Island to revisit King Kong, not seen on the Studio backlot since the massive fire which burned down the previous Kong attraction along with much of the historic exterior sets. Near the backlot location of the venerable Collapsing Bridge, your tram driver winds the vehicles up a curving hillside path and around to enter a stony cave entrance, disembodied skulls and spears warning of the peril awaiting you.
Suddenly loud roars echo from the distance as trees and stones tumble nearby, distracting the Rexes — it's Kong, breaking in to challenge the dinosaurs and momentarily sparing your lives. He attacks the Rex on your right, wrestling for supremacy while the two dinos on the left continue their attack. Their gaping mouths roar, spraying you with spit as the breeze from their whipping tails ruffles your hair and nerves. Kong overpowers one Rex then leaps across the tram to tackle the others, your tram shuddering under the giant ape's weight. Outnumbered, the T-Rexes take turns fighting Kong and clawing at the tram, attempting to drag the tail-end car away for a snack. Soon the entire tram is sliding down into a vine-netted ravine, the dinos ripping the tram cars like canned sardines! Kong battles furiously to keep your tram from plummeting into the chasm as he battles the remaining dinos to the death. At last, Kong rules alone and he struggles to lift your tram back onto solid ground above the chasm, where your driver can pull ahead and out of this primeval world to safety again. 
Risen from the ashes, Kong returns in this 3-D film experience which may be ground-breaking in theme park technology, but isn't far enough removed from the 3-D experience you can view at your local theater to be a truly revolutionary experience. The sound and fury of Kong's battle with his roaring T-Rex foes definitely immerse you in this titanic showdown, and the filmed battle makes great use of 3-D visual effects to simulate the lethal dangers found in the jungle. What may disappoint some attraction aficionados (like me) is that viewers may never escape the sense that they just entered into the world's most sophisticated drive-in theater, containing too little of the set decoration magic which is the hallmark of Universal's studio-based entertainment. In short, there needs to be more Skull Island on Skull Island for this 3-D sensory illusion to truly sweep our imaginations away to the lost world where Kong reigns.
Not to say the 3-D experience isn't entertaining, it delivers a 21st century attraction experience that for now stands in a category by itself. Jackson and crew cleverly play with three-dimensional space on Skull Island to delightful effect. Synchronizing the tilting motion base as the film nearly tosses viewers over the chasm's edge is a great eye and mind fooler, the potential drop to a collective demise in the pit made believable by the crystal clear 3-D projection. The wind and water spraying effects add some physical stimuli to the illusion, and reportedly some scents (creature bad breath) are also part of the show, but I couldn't detect it at last week's preview. In short, the attraction film works as well as Jackson's theatrical movie did in bringing Kong to life, if not a bit better in technical terms — but as previewed it remains very much a movie presentation and less a totally immersive experience in Universal Studio's own terms. 
Speaking of which, the show is also a bit shorter than expected, running less than three minutes of on-screen time. Granted, capacity is the name of the game for the backlot tour, but this show time is roughly half of what the King Kong Encounter ran at USH before. Indeed it's quite a creative and filmmaking challenge to design and direct a five-minute movie scene that's never interrupted by an editing cut, but if TERMINATOR 2: 3-D can blend edits and scene changes for 12 minutes and effectively disguise its film-based concept, surely Jackson, WETA and Universal could have lengthened KONG 360 by another minute to extend the fun it offers.