Perhaps the most amazing thing about a movie is how well it travels. Look to the "Fast & Furious" franchise, which, at seven movies in, has made over 3 billion dollars in worldwide box office and zoomed to all corners of the globe, playing to millions in every venue and home screen imaginable.
But simply seeing all seven slick-car flicks doesn't make one a franchise completist, at least as of Wednesday. There's a new way to dip into the world of Dominic Toretto and his crew, a hydraulic-based motion ride that peels out as the fast finish to the Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tram Tour.
"Fast & Furious — Supercharged," the newest attraction at the Universal City theme park, is "a technologically advanced mega-attraction designed to catapult guests into the high-stakes underground world of street racing at perceived speeds of 120 miles per hour." Stars from the franchise, including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham, swung by the studio a day ahead of its public debut to try out the adrenaline-raising adventure.
And, yes, the thrill ride is considered a "new installment" in the franchise, one that can "only be experienced at the Entertainment Capital of LA." So while all seven "Fast & Furious" films can travel the world, super fans'll need to travel to Universal City in order to complete the total auto-iconic immersion.
Three-dimensional audio and 3D-HD projection imagery work in concert to catapult tram goers into the world of the films. That means the tram will move in unexpected, you're-on-the-freeway ways, courtesy of hydraulics below.
And, of course, "the world's longest and most expansive 360-degree screen," a screen that wraps around guests on nearly all sides, transports people into the "Fast & Furious" universe for a few heart-pounding minutes.
As for you fact hounds, check out the screen's length: 400 feet. That's a wee bit longer than the screen down at your local cineplex (make that a whole lot longer — movie screens run around 70 to 80 feet in length). The newly constructed building that houses the screen, and a few other distinct views and areas, is larger than the average movie theater, too, at 65,000 square feet.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
The theme park is undergoing a renaissance — look to the Hogwarts-big The Wizarding World of Harry Potter rising in the middle — and the new pedal-to-the-floor finale of the Studio Tour is a centerpiece.
The tour, by the by, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and still includes classic looks at "Jaws" and the Norman Bates house and motel from "Psycho." Best buckle up though, or hang onto your seatmates, as you pull into the "Fast & Furious" garage come the close of your tour.
Even Jaws can't swim nearly as swiftly as you will seemingly go once the thrill ride reaches for the throttle.
