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What you should know before you ride
The theme park intellectual property game is sometimes hard to figure out. Disney’s parks certainly have a certain IP buffer with nostalgia. At Universal Studios Florida, SpongeBob, Harry Potter and the Simpsons are entrenched in the American consciousness. But I think the Dreamworks characters – except for the Minions – have less of a hold each year as time marches forward.
And that brings us to the Revenge of the Mummy attraction. The indoor roller coaster is a dark ride based on the trilogy of “Mummy” movies starring Brendan Fraser.
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What is Revenge of the Mummy?
Revenge of the Mummy is an indoor roller coaster at the Universal Orlando theme park. It’s a dark ride that is one of the more scary and thrilling rides at the Universal side of the park. The ride is based on the 1999 “The Mummy” movie and its sequel, “The Mummy Returns” which came out in 2001. The movies also helped launch the movie career of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The ride opened to great fanfare in 2004, a couple of years before the maligned third movie which made $400 million, but it wasn’t well received by critics or most fans. And like several of Universal’s rides, it features screens, practical effects and technology.
Is Revenge of the Mummy a dark ride?
The coaster itself operates in a lot of darkness. The cars go backward at one point and it features the rips and dives of a real roller coaster. It’s a bit like Space Mountain, with more surprises and of course, mummies. Guests are taken behind the scenes of “The Mummy” movie set, which is cursed by the spirit of Imhotep, a late 27th-century advisor to Pharaoh Djoser and high priest of the Sun God Ra.
On the ride, prepare to have your immortal souls threatened unironically by a guy who was likely a physician and became worshipped for his healing powers. There’s a curse, tomb warriors and a video of attacking scarab beetles. All of this makes a lot more sense if you’ve seen the movie. And also, of course, there are warrior mummies. All in all? It’s a fun ride.
Does the Mummy ride have big drops?
No, the drops are mild for a coaster. The ride does go backward at one point and will have a few surprises for riders. For example, the ride has a false ending.
How scary is Revenge of the Mummy?
It all depends, but I think it’s arguably the scariest ride at Universal. But compared to the Halloween Horror Nights offerings? It’s not bad. But if you’re a kid who is a little hesitant about roller coasters, dark rides, attacking scarabs or warrior mummies? It could be frightening. If it were a movie, I’d rate it PG-13.
Why did they refurbish the ride?
It needed it. The Revenge of the Mummy was refurbished in 2022. It was one of a handful of rides at Universal relying on aging technology that was lessening the experience. In addition to minor changes to the ride queue and track to smooth out the ride experience, The Revenge of the Mummy screens were updated. I assume they were standard def and updated to a much higher quality. There are also parts of the experience that were previously dark which are now lighted.
Some of the practical effects appeared to have been improved as well. Some of the warrior mummies appear to have been upgraded – or are working properly and are well-lit. The fire effects seem a lot more impressive as well. There has also been some general cleaning up and spiffing of the ride vehicle and overall experience.
What to know before you ride
Height restrictions require riders to be 48 inches tall. Also, don’t take loose items on the ride as with any coaster. Free indoor lockers were upgraded during a previous refurbishment in 2018. Like all of the park’s thrill rides, Universal’s generic policy warns that anyone with a 40-inch waist or more may not be able to ride. What’s the actual size? It’s unclear. Some rides with that warning can accommodate guests with a much larger waistline while others cannot. Revenge of the Mummy does have a test vehicle where you can ensure your ability to ride before waiting in line.
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Have you taken a ride on The Revenge of the Mummy? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.
