Grand Opening of FAST & FURIOUS - SUPERCHARGED: Videos, Photos, and More
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the grand opening of Fast & Furious - Supercharged, the brand new "ride" based on the Fast & Furious franchise. I put "ride" in quotation marks because it's actually more of an experience than a traditional ride; it's an immersive 3D attraction that's actually the finale of the famous studio tour. (I'll detail my thoughts on the experience later in this post.) In the meantime, I wanted to give you a little bit of a sense of what it was like to be there among some of the cast and filmmakers during the studio's grand opening presentation.
Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham, producer Neal Moritz, and writer/producer Chris Morgan were all on hand to experience the ride for the first time along with us. The studio set up cars from the films so we could check them out up close, including Dom's Dodge Charger.
Here's how the event began:
The president and COO of Universal Studios Hollywood came out and introduced the mayor of Los Angeles, and they both gave brief speeches about how important tourism is to the city and the positive effect it has on the area. Then they introduced the cast, and Diesel addressed the crowd:
Just as they were preparing to do an official "cut the chain" ceremony to open the attraction, this happened:
And then we were off to check out the ride itself.
(Be warned: spoilers for Fast & Furious - Supercharged follow.)
The studio tour is easily my favorite thing at Universal Studios, and Fast & Furious - Supercharged is a cool way to incorporate the studio's biggest franchise into the guests' experience at the park. It begins as you roll past Dominic Toretto's black Dodge Charger, and your guide (feigning concern) calls security because the car isn't supposed to be there. Soon after, the tour cart's video screens are suddenly interrupted by an "FBI agent" who warns you that Dom and his team are dangerous criminals and they're not to be trifled with. Dwayne Johnson's Agent Luke Hobbs hacks into the feed (and hilariously introduces himself as "the reason bad guys need night lights"), telling you that master criminal Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) is searching for a witness who's on board your cart. Hobbs points the guide to a nearby garage where you can hide out. There's some video footage recapping the major players in the film franchise, and you head into the garage to find safety.
Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) appears on the monitors once you're inside, pointing out a couple of vehicles next to your tour cart that will factor into the action soon. Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) shows up, warns guests to turn off their cell phones as to not tip off Shaw to their location, and then we're invited to a party in the next room. The cart edges into another area, where we see a bunch of sexy people dancing and having fun off to the right side of the cart. The FBI shows up to bust Roman, but Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty arrive as backup, and Hobbs shows up with a gun and scares off the FBI guy. (This plays out on what looks like a see-through screen, with the actors looking almost like holograms inside real environments.)
Then you don your 3D glasses, you move into yet another room — this one encircled by massive screens and equipped with 34 separate 4K projectors — and the real action gets underway. The cart essentially stays still other than some bumping in place and hydraulic effects, but the video that fills the screens makes it seem like you're racing down the 110 freeway in L.A. to try to get away from Shaw, who's hot on your tail. Dom is in his Charger right next to you; Roman and Letty hook your cart from their modified tow trucks and drag you along at perceived speeds over 120 miles per hour. Wind effects blast you with air, fog goes crazy, and there's even some water added into the mix as you soar over a huge gap in a broken bridge. And yes, Dom hangs from a helicopter just like in the poster.
The ride doesn't specify when exactly it takes place in the timeline of the films, but since Owen Shaw is the villain, it's safe to assume it's either an off-screen instance that happens during Fast & Furious 6 that we didn't see, or (small spoiler for Furious 7 ahead), since Furious 7 revealed that he was still alive, maybe it takes place after he heals from his injuries sustained at the end of 6.
Overall, Supercharged is a pretty cool experience. The insane action and ludicrous stunts are definitely worthy of the Fast & Furious name, and it makes a nice finale to the already-impressive studio tour.
Fast & Furious - Supercharged is now open at Universal Studios Hollywood.