Exhibit A in this debate always seems to be Universal Studios Hollywood's Waterworld, the 11th seed in the Best Live Show bracket in the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction Tournament.
It seemed like a sure-fire hit at the time. Academy Award winner Kevin Coster, fresh from a string of hits including Dances with Wolves and JFK, would star in an action thriller set in the future, after global warming had melted the Earth's ice caps, submerging the world's land. Rather than waiting to see if the movie would be a hit, Universal Studios Hollywood would debut a stunt show based on the film that same fall (in 1995), to take advantage of what would surely be the movie's immense popularity.
Thank goodness that Universal didn't wait, for if it had, we likely wouldn't have what's turned out to become one of the most popular theme park shows ever produced. Waterworld, the movie, turned out to be a dud, earning less than half its production cost in its initial release. But Waterworld, the theme park show, continues to thrill audiences with its 16 minutes of JetSki stunts, fistfights and explosions, including an audacious finale where a full-sized plane crashes into the water, just a few feet in front of the audience.
The show takes place after the events of the film. Helen returns from Dryland to save her friends, when the evil Smokers attack. But the Mariner soon returns to save the day. Here's a YouTube clip from the show:
Waterworld also plays at Universal Studios Japan and also will run in Singapore when that park debuts later this year. (And yet, there's no Waterworld show at Universal Orlando, Universal's most popular theme park resort.)
What do you think about Universal Studios Hollywood's Waterworld? Waterworld pulled one upset, by outshining the film upon which it was based. Can it advance in this year's tournament? We'll find out when voting begins in March.
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Then again, the plane effect is pretty cool!I might need to check it out!
And I really enjoy it. Could be the best theme park stunt show out there. I also appreciate the cast call at the end of the show to give some credit to the performers. That's rarely seen in a theme park attraction (then again, a plane crash is rarely seen, either).
9-Outstanding on the TPI scale.
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Audiences still pack out the stands for every performance and it's easy to see why. It's fast , furious and choc full of special effects culminating in an extraordinarily good finale involving a full size water-plane.
The script is witty and they use stunt actors from top TV shows and movies to perform some of the best stunts you'll see.
I can't see this show being beaten.