My Theme Park Co-Worker And I Don’t Disagree That Much, But We Don’t Agree On The Best Epic Universe Ride

I’ve been thinking a lot about Epic Universe since the opening of the aptly named theme park at the end of May. I’ve been thinking about amazing queues, food and vibes, but also the 11 rides and additional other attractions populating the new park. The more I think about it, the more I must accept one truth: My CinemaBlend co-worker and I are just not on the same page about the best ride.

Our Theme Park Expert Dirk Libbey Was Shocked To Find Out He’s In Love With Harry Potter And The Ministry Of Magic

While Dirk Libbey and I agree on a wide swathe of things when it comes to theme parks, he is not a huge Harry Potter guy. He didn’t grow up with the books in the same way my millennial soul did, and I also went with him one time to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and (unlike Tom Felton) I couldn’t even get him hyper on board with a butterbeer. So, I was absolutely shocked when he ranked all the Epic Universe rides and Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magic came up first.

He loved the opening into the cavernous space at the Ministry of Magic and the intricacies of the queue. However, above all, he loved the mix of screens and natural components on the ride and had a blast following the cast taking on Umbridge on this unique journey.

As a huge Potterhead myself, naturally, I thought I would agree this was the best of the best the new park would offer. Was I in for a surprise...

I Was Shocked To Find Out Monsters Were My Vibe

Unlike my well-esteemed coworker, I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and also a big fan of Harry Potter and The Escape From Gringotts, a ride which shares some of the same hallmarks as the new Battle At The Ministry Of Magic Ride at Epic Universe. Both rides feature some OG Potter cast members and utilizes interactive components in the queue as well as screens on the actual ride, though the delivery and experience is very different.

With this in mind, and knowing the queue itself was a transformative experience for some Potter fans, I fully expected this to be my ride. Yet when I walked through the doors at Darkmoor, my expectations changed drastically. Both Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment and Battle At The Ministry of Magic are indoor rides with unique ride mechanisms, but I truly love the storyline in The Frankenstein Experiment. It's so fully fleshed out, I'd like to see it on the big screen.

And I love all the little details with the animatronics, including the one surprise fans get if they are stuck in the loading room with Frankenstein for longer than expected.

Couple that with the fact I love all the practical effects, and I even enjoyed the KUKA-Arm technology this time around! To be honest, the latter absolutely makes me feel sick every time I ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, so I was really nervous going in, but there's a new thing to look at every single time I've been on the ride, and the cool thing about the practical effects is they are still eerie even if they aren't moving quite how we expected or something is messed up.

The whole Dark Universe portal works. I wouldn't have considered myself a Dark Universe girlie before I entered the land, but in a surprising turn of events, it wasn't Harry Potter or How To Train Your Dragon that stuck with me in the days after I said goodbye to Epic Universe.

The Moral Of This Epic Universe Story?

Every year, we cover Halloween Horror Nights, and every year I bow out as my expertise tends more toward romance, serialized TV, or animated films. Now that I’ve been on Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, I feel I’ve been depriving myself of an awesome experience. Perhaps this year is the year to cut loose and try something new.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that Epic Universe is not at all what I expected based on ride descriptions, ride types, and theming subject. Opening myself up to new experiences turned out to be the best thing I did in the parks.

Ultimately, neither Dirk nor I had the same experience, nor did we expect to like some of the attractions we loved the most as much as we did. But I think that's the thing that is most attractive about Universal Orlando's theme parks: it has something for everybody. In truth, something different may tug your own heartstrings, and that's cool, too.