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Men in Black Alien Attack is hailed by designers as the "world's
first life-size, ride-through, interactive video game experience."
Based on the movie Men in Black, the ride features
Will Smith and Rip Torn and is the first ever attraction where guests
(and the aliens) determine each ride's outcome by their individual
and collective abilities.
Smith and Torn have re-teamed as "Agent J"
and "MIB Director Zed" in the attraction, and, through
the magic of film technology, lead hardy bands of guest/trainees
as they take up arms to save the earth from intergalactic terrorists.
Vocal artist Michael (Police Academy) Winslow supplies a number
of the ride's extra-terrestrial utterances.
Part heart-stopping thrill ride, part cosmic turkey
shoot, "Men in Black Alien Attack" remains true to the
techno-futuristic style of the blockbuster Columbia Pictures/Amblin
Entertainment hit film about a shadowy organization that is "above,
over and beyond the system" - the Men in Black.
Players actually step into the movie and directly
affect the environment around them by firing their laser-sighted
"alien zappers" at targets and scoring points. And the
aliens can shoot back, causing chaos as the MIB trainee transports
spin wildly out of control with each ricochet or direct hit.
Men in Black Alien Attack, located in a massive 70,000
square-foot building at the North end of the Universal Studios Florida
lagoon, and camouflaged as a retro-modern-style plaza reminiscent
of the 1964 New York World's Fair, is the largest dark-ride ever
conceived. The ride immerses teams of guest/MIB trainees inside
the adventure, careening wildly through the streets in government-issue
vehicles, destroying hordes of aliens in order to earn their stripes
at MIB.
The ride begins with a training lecture by MIB Director
Zed (Torn), warning the guest/trainees that aliens are living among
us, and the mandate of the MIB is to round them up. In fact, a shuttle
will be taking off that very day, deporting some "rather nasty"
alien criminals to Planet LV-428. Zed instructs the trainees in
the finer points of "alien spotting," the proper use of
alien "zappers" and the training vehicle, and then turns
them loose on a sequence of "training missions."
The trainees soon learn that the shuttle bound for
Planet LV-428 has crashed in the city, the aliens are armed, and
the only thing between Earth and complete inter-planetary domination
is them. The training vehicle swerves back out into the street,
revealing massive alien firepower. The battle is pitched - trainees
firing...bugs-a-poppin...chaos everywhere. This is all-out war for
the safety of humankind. As the attack intensifies, the trainees
receive a special transmission on the monitor in their vehicle.
It's Agent J (Smith) who appears on screen and he's got BA-A-A-D
news...there's a huge alien bug showing up on his radar. It's hungry,
angry and just up ahead.
Men in Black culminates (literally) in the "belly
of the beast" as the largest animatronic ever built - a warehouse-sized
alien bug 30-feet high, with eight-foot teeth and 20-foot claws
- devours the vehicle. Guest/trainees are instructed by J to shoot
their way out of the slimy intestinal cavity and split-second decisions
are crucial as each team determines their fate.
Regrettably, upon completeion of their duties, terrified
Universal ride designers were visited by shadowy government operatives
and zapped with MIB "neuralizers," erasing their memories
and forever locking away the secret of the ride's conclusion. However,
early, de-classified versions of the ride description, uncovered
at great peril, reveal multiple outcomes ranging from a hero's welcome
to a loser's farewell.
Type - interactive ride
Duration - 4 minutes
Restrictions
Guests may remain in standard wheelchair throughout.
Assistive listening available.
Minimum 42" height requirement.
Tips
Ride photos of you zapping aliens are available to buy as you exit.
Use the single rider line to avoid the long queues.
Keep your finger on the trigger, even when there's nothing to aim
at.
When shooting, aim for the eyes / between the eyes.
Reviews
"When the park opened we went straight back to
this ride, since our boys were anxious to ride it. No line, we actually
rode it 3 times straight, taking advantage of the Baby Swap. Boys
loved it. I bought the photo. Excellent ride!" tina
"Now THIS was a fun ride. Both children and adults
get a kick out of this ride. It's a bit like playing laser tag on
a rail system. The tunnels are filled with alien targets that popup
and taunt you. Smoke fills the area, as you attempt to pummel targets
with your laser gun. The final part of the ride spins your cart
in circles as you are sucked into the mouth of an alien. At the
end of the ride, the overall score of your cart (I believe its four
to a cart) is rated and you recieve a movie clip from Will Smith
congratulating you on your sucess or berating you on a dismal performance.
Very entertaining, but the line can be intimidating. I went in solo
in January, and was able to ride three times in 40 minutes. Even
though the line can be long in January, there is a special line
for solo riders that allows you to cut in line and fill up extra
space on the carts. If you don't mind splitting up from family and
friends, this is a great way to ride multiple times and still have
time left in the day for other attractions.
tips: Split up your party and head for the solo line. It will save
you ALOT of time. The video game experience is still a lot of fun
for solo riders."
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