The theme park intellectual property game is hard to figure out.
Sure, Disney has Star Wars and some pieces of its Marvel Universe. But its upcoming newest attraction is based on Tron, a 40-year-old film that had a well-received but inconsequential sequel more than a decade ago.
And you have to wonder how the Pandora section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom will age if the new Avatar movies fail.
But Disney’s parks have a certain IP buffer with nostalgia. Some of Disney’s rides have been around for 50 years now and many of Disney’s characters are American icons.
At Universal Studios Florida, where the only ride left from the park’s opening is E.T., nostalgia is a much more ephemeral commodity.
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SpongeBob, Harry Potter and the Simpsons are entrenched in the American consciousness. As a result, I think the Transformers IP still has some legs.
But the Dreamworks characters – with the exception of the Minions – have less of a hold each year as time marches forward. Are the characters from Madagascar relevant? What about Kung Fu Panda or even the Trolls?
The same problem exists, I think, for Men in Black. The most recent effort to revive the franchise failed miserably despite the star power of Chris Hemsworth. It’s a good thing the ride is fun because the IP is aging fast.
And that brings us to the Revenge of the Mummy attraction. The indoor roller coaster is a dark ride based the trilogy of “Mummy” movies starring Brendan Fraser.
Is Revenge of the Mummy at Universal closed?
Revenge of the Mummy was closed in January of 2022 for a lengthy refurbishment. It finally reopened in August of 2022 with technical rehearsals that were still ongoing in October.
Also, while the ride is in practical rehearsal, it can still go down. If you see a decent wait time and want to ride, I suggest jumping on the chance.
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 to deliver some of the fun.
Read Also: Universal Studios vs Islands of Adventure in Orlando, which is better?
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.
In the 3,000 years following his passing, Imhotep became somewhat deified until earning the ultimate honor of being the bad guy in a Brendan Fraser-starring Indiana Jones knockoff.
Outraged at the apparent indignation, Imhotep cursed the movie set and – somewhat ironically – acted exactly as he is portrayed in the movies which apparently outraged him.
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.
Read Also: What can you do at King’s Cross in Universal? A Wizarding World guide
How scary is Revenge of the Mummy?
It all depends. 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 can be frightening.
If it were a movie, I’d rate it PG-13. Some kids younger will love it, but you know your kids better than I do.
Why did they refurbish the ride? [2022]
It needed it. The Revenge of the Mummy 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 that are currently lit.
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 happened to Universal’s Monsters Land?
A few years ago, rumors arose that Fraser was being replaced.
As a result, in 2017, Universal tried to reboot “The Mummy” starring Tom Cruise to serve as a launching pad for a new shared universe starring Universal’s monsters.
Russell Crowe was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and eventually Frankenstein’s Monster. And others – like maybe the creature from the “Black Lagoon” – would join.
The movie, however, was awful and Monsters Land was scuttled. However, a section of the new Universal Park – Epic Universe – will be devoted to monsters.
Still, the thought was maybe Universal was taking advantage of its relationship with Cruise. After all, would you rather have Fraser or Cruise selling your ride?
Those rumors proved unfounded. The ride still features Fraser – in footage that was filmed roughly 20 years ago – demanding his coffee.
What else do we need to know?
The Sahara Traders gift shop at the ride’s exit has been given an upgrade and offers some truly cool stuff. The museum theme is really fun. Height restrictions require riders to be 48 inches tall.
As with any coaster, don’t take your loose items on the ride. 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. Others cannot. Revenge of the Mummy does have a test vehicle where you can ensure your ability to ride prior to waiting in line.
Have you taken a ride on The Revenge of the Mummy? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.
