I forgot to mention in Part 2 how the Transformers’ ride attendants were dressed up in military outfits, amusingly causing my wife and me to act overly respectful towards them.
Now then, I continue my review of Universal Studios LA with Shrek 4-D and The Simpsons Ride. Click here to see Part 1 or Part 2!
Shrek 4-D:
Now here’s a ride my wife and I disagree on. I enjoyed Shrek 4-D—the plot is an amusing short, set between Shrek and Shrek 2, that follows Shrek and Fiona as they head to their honeymoon, only to be disrupted by the ghost of Lord Farquaad out for revenge. The short is a witty adventure with some humorously cheesy jokes—such as Shrek accidentally destroying Gingy’s candy house, who asks Shrek if he has insurance since “that house cost me a lot of dough”. The ride’s 4-D elements made the short a lot more entertaining; Donkey amusingly grossed me out by sneezing “boogers” (aka water) all over the audience, and air blasted under our feet as a bunch of spiders crawled off the screen (which made me jump right out of my seat).
My wife’s seat, unfortunately, did not have its air mechanic working and missed out on the experience. Such faultiness increased her disinterest in the ride that she also felt was too jerky and not unique enough—making a good argument how smell should have been incorporated into the ride (which would have felt just right within the Shrek universe). We both agree, however, that Shrek 4-D absolutely made us want to rewatch the series (the good films at least). Turns out we were also some of the last people to ride Shrek 4-D, as it was recently closed down to make way for the DreamWorks Theatre attraction.
The Simpsons Ride:
The Simpsons ride is not much fun, and its plot isn’t very funny either. There are a few chuckles here and there—such as Grandpa and Maggie’s back-and-forth old-man/baby babbling, and Homer’s remark about how Amusement Parks won’t kill you “as long as you have a dime left in your pocket”—yet the majority of jokes are on level of a subpar modern episode. My wife and I also sat in the ride’s back row that is slanted at an angle where our view was partially obscured by the front people’s heads. Combine these flaws with the ride’s jerkiness, and The Simpsons Ride isn’t worth the wait—being my wife and I’s least favorite ride.
