Test Drive the 'Fast and Furious' Ride at Universal Studios
Now you, too, can join the family.
After 14 years and seven increasingly successful films, the Fast and Furious franchise has finally been given its very own theme-park ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, joining the likes of Jaws, King Kong and Jurassic Park. And just like the franchise itself, which has become a multi-billion dollar box-office sensation, the ride, which opens on June 25, looks to be ridiculously entertaining.
As you can see in the preview video above — which, of course, begins with an inspirational speech from star Vin Diesel — Fast & Furious Supercharged puts fans in the middle of several action-packed scenes that feature many of the franchise’s main stars including Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Luke Evans, who had a cameo in Furious 7 after being the main baddie in Fast & Furious 6, resumes his role as the chief antagonist.
Related: Read our complete ‘Furious 7′ coverage
From the looks of it, the ride seems to be more of an immersive show, with visitors on the Universal Studios Tour tram taking in the action from all around them.
One interesting thing to note is that while the franchise has long been celebrated for its emphasis on practical, physical effects — such as dropping cars from airplanes — much of the ride’s video component was done against green screens in the fake shells representing various cars and tanks. (Also: In keeping with grand Fast and Furious tradition there does appear to be some awkward background dancers.)
“If you tried to shoot an experience like we’re creating here of driving through the streets of L.A. at 120 miles per hour with the actors and the cars and special effects, that it would be impossible to shoot,” one Universal engineer explained in the video. Another added that making a ride film is far different than producing a movie, given the huge number of angles and shots required to place fans inside the action.
And, as we already know — and Vin Diesel reiterates in the 6-minute video — this franchise is all about its fans.
Check out the poster for the ‘Fast & Furious Supercharged’ ride below:
