With Terminator Salvation, Magic Mountain offers a cheeky, self-referential attraction that, frankly, reminds me more of what I'd find in a Universal Studios theme park than anything Six Flags has offered in the past.
The queue starts in typical Six Flags fashion, with a back-and-forth queue on a concrete slab. But the queue soon moves inside the GCI wooden coaster's track, eventually leading into a - gasp!- themed preshow theater.
Like last year's Dark Knight Coaster from Six Flags (which did Magic Mountain did not install), Terminator Salvation's preshow features a cross-over appearance by stars from the film. Moon Bloodgood and rapper Common set up the story behind the ride: We're pinned down by "The Machines" that are fighting to exterminate the human race.
The twist? (And I'm gonna totally spoil this...) Common asks Bloodgood for her location, and she reports... "West of the 5, just north of Valencia."
That's right, she's trapped at Magic Mountain. The camera pulls back, and we see her outside the coaster, yards from where we stand. It's a post-apocalyptic, bomb-blasted Magic Mountain (the Terminator timeline merges with Fox-TV's 24?), ground zero in the war between man and machine.
For a theme park that aspires to family-friendliness by rising beyond a past too closely tied to offering simply the biggest and baddest twisted metal on the planet, the irony doesn't simply drip off the screen... it floods.
"Magic Mountain," Common exclaims, "that place has changed hands lots of times." Okay, I know he's supposed to be talking about the battle between the humans and the machines, but it's a great, self-deprecating corporate joke nevertheless.
Anyway, the machines are closing in, and the only way to get past them is... to ride the coaster train to safety. I fear that most riders will just enjoy the cool dark of the room, then keep talking with their buddies, drowning out the preshow narrative. That'd be a shame, because Terminator Salvation's preshow is the most cleverly ironic I've yet seen.
As for the ride itself, Terminator Salvation is much the same GCI model as the beloved Thunderhead at Dollywood. A 100-foot lift hill drops us into a series of lightning-fast, yet graceful, turns, highlighted by a station-shuddering fly-through and a couple of cooling mist tunnels, well welcomed in the Valencia heat.
Magic Mountain president Jay Thomas joined me for the ride:
Terminator Salvation's Achilles' heel will be rider capacity. With two 22-person trains on the track, and about a cycle time just under four minutes, we're looking at approximately 600-800 riders per hour. Okay for a wooden coaster, but not great for a theme park trying to keep wait times under an hour. Put this ride at Universal Studios, surrounded by high-capacity, people-absorbing attractions to take the pressure off, and Terminator Salvation would be a certain hit. But at Magic Mountain, I fear that massive initial waits will lead too many thrill-seeking fans to dismiss this coaster.
No, I wouldn't wait more than an hour for it, either. But Terminator Salvation's already become my favorite ride at Magic Mountain. Filled with giddy fun and smart story-telling, this is a ride not for a thrill junkie, but for a theme park fan.
As appropriate for a Terminator-themed attraction, let me say this: It's about time.
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Good review though! I see that Six Flags is trying to do some theming and preshow thing for their new roller coasters. Do I see a new dawning in Roller Coasters? If thats the case, Disney would be ahead, followed by Universal, then Six Flags, THEN Busch?!?!?! WOW, maybe thats an unfair assesment.
That being said, Terminator doesn't look like a rough woodie at all. Maybe one day if we get back down to California, I'll take another stab at it.
Robert, great job! I wish the camera had been on the track, but it was fun to see your reactions, and the reactions of the park president as he was beaming like a school boy with a brand new favorite toy. Nothing's official yet, but I hope to be in CA sometime after DCA finishes Cars Land (2011 - 2012?)... and that means a stop at Magic Mountain as well. By then, the park very well could be the new Coaster Capital Of The World. Cedar Point best get busy...!
I am not sure how the night time lighting is in the park or on the new (dare I say it?) attraction, but if Six Flags left the track mostly dark, then the night ride should be even better than what you experienced in the video. Let us know if you get a chance to visit the Terminator at night, and how that ride compares to your day time event. Also, the ride should get even faster with more use - at least that's what happened to the new GCI coaster (Prowler) at my home park (Worlds of Fun). When I visited the park a few weeks after the preview event, the ride was much faster. Perhaps there is a break in period for wooden coasters?
One other note: the lines at Prowler have been managed extremely well as far as riders per hour (there is no preshow, however). It seems to be the fastest moving line at the park these days, so with some efficient line management, Six Flags can make Terminator successful, they just have to put forth a little effort, even with a pre-show.
Nevertheless, this definitely looks a step in the right direction. A little bit of theming never hurt any ride...except Superstar Limo that is.
While I agree that all the newer GCI woodies are extremely smooth, the older ones can be very bumpy. Ghostrider at Knott's is still the roughest wooden coaster I have ever been on, and I have the Cyclone in my backyard.
Ghostrider is smooth compared to a couple of Six Flags I've experienced: The appropriately named "Rattler" at Six Flags Fiesta Texas [which was reprofiled four times in the first four years it was around and it never got better] and "The Boss" at the near-to-me Six Flags St. Louis. The last time I rode it I was praying for it to end I was in such pain.
Of course any wood coaster not maintained will get bad ("Timberwolf" at Worlds of Fun needs some TLC - although I've not been there this year). But even a woodie that goes sour can be brought back to live with proper work. The aforementioned Six Flags St. Louis has done a great taking the 33 year old "Screamin' Eagle" from a great debut, to a long ever-worse decline, to a great ride once again.
And the coaster removed at Magic Mountain (Psyclone - the only wood coaster designed by Bolliger and Mabillard) to make room for Terminator Salvation - well it appears that is a swap that is a breath of fresh air.
And I agree with you completely on The Boss... however, Screamin' Eagle had me screamin' all right... just not screams of joy. If they have improved it, that improvement had to have happened since October of last year.
You definitely mentioned some real head-bangers. However, Ghostrider is still the only ride I have ever been on that left me with a massive headache for most of the rest of my day at a park. That happened on my first and last time on it in 1999. So, it was still a new coaster.
Agree completely on Psyclone. It will not be missed. Terminator looks like it will make a great partner with the terrific Colossus.
The Rattler and Psyclone were the absolute roughest, most painful woodies I have ever ridden. If this thing is truly like Thunderhead at Dollywood, then it's a brilliant coaster.
Thunderhead is awesome in the dark as it is not lit at all. It's a journey through the blackness of the Smokey Mountains. Therefore, Terminator should be awesome in the dark as well.
I'll be there in October, ready to ride!
BTW, Ghostrider isn't a GCI (Great Coasters Intl), it's a CCI (Custom Coasters Intl), a previous incarnation of The Gravity Group. The Psyclone was essentially a rip of the Coney Island cyclone, "designed" by Curtis Summers and built by the Dinn Corporation. B&M was never associated with that pile of lumber,
It's good to see Magic Mountain get some good reviews. The nice thing about this ride is that it's good even without the little bit of theme it has. SFMM could ride Terminator to great success this year.
My apologies to GCI. I got my CIs mixed-up.
Given that CCI was responsible for both Ghostrider and The Boss, I should never have mixed them up with the greatness that are the GCI woodies. Save for Gwazi which is a bit disappointing.
If fact that was the last time I went on a "Coaster" The Simpson BTTF is on an axis so I don't call that a Coaster
Psyclone was fun the first years, guess around the earthquake in '94 it went south. Lots of people claim that the trains were to heavy and basically ripped the track apart
Or maybe Psyclone was just sinking,lol, in any case this looks like a winner for the park
It's a shame I'm in New Jersey. We have the IMO laughable Dark Knight Coaster, but nothing new this year. (I was allowed to ride TDN for free, but would have felt ripped off if I paid.) The pre show for TDN was great, but the ride was pretty bad. It looks like Terminator has a great preshow and a great ride.
Because of this I will be adding MAgic Mountain to my list of parks to attend/review for my blog when I go in a few years. :D
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