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The Flash: Speed Force - Confusing Operations, Short Ride Duration, & Out of Place at Movie World?
On the 13th of June, we had the opportunity to ride The Flash: Speed Force. We were certainly excited to get on this ride as we had never experienced it before at Wet'n'Wild.
Our expectations were low coming into this ride, as we had heard it was prone to not spinning. This was further confirmed as we observed the morning test runs and noticed it did not always spin. Our first ride, to say the least, was a disappointment as it did not spin at all.
Table of Contents
Theme
The Flash: Speed Force is located inside the 'helix' element of Superman Escape. Warner Bros. Movie World labels it as the world’s first ride within a ride. The park describes the theme of the ride as follows:
... Prepare to twist, spin and speed along a 67-metre-long half-pipe track whilst The Flash takes on his greatest villain, The Reverse-Flash. - Warner Bros. Movie World
This theme is interesting, to say the least. It’s part of the DC Cinematic Universe and is a continuation of the DC Rivals theme as it features one of the seven rivalries of the DC Universe.
The Queue
The ride features two statues of The Flash and The Reverse Flash situated outside the attraction’s entrance, which look fantastic in person. The sticker-covered side panels with the lightning bolts also look good, but how long will they last before they fade or get peeled? Not to mention, The Flash: Speed Force sign above the entrance tunnel also looks fantastic.
As you approach the tunnel, an attendant checks your height to ensure you meet the requirements. If you're lucky, they will provide a wait time, which is incredibly useful as you have limited visibility from the entrance of the queue line itself. Moving through the tunnel, the lightning design continues alongside some music, setting the ambiance of the queue. This is yet another fantastic touch by Movie World.
While the queue line isn’t particularly long and is situated in the center of Superman Escape’s helix, it is presented very nicely. It features comic section sign prints that communicate the storyline of the ride to riders—something nice to look at while you wait, and wait, and wait.
As you slowly get closer to the grouping portion of the ride, the ride music continues and you finally see the ride.
Presentation & Atmosphere
The overall presentation of The Flash: Speed Force is impressive. The statues of The Flash and The Reverse Flash at the entrance of the ride are eye-catching and set the tone for the ride. The entrance sign, with its bold design, adds to the anticipation. Inside the queue, the lightning design and ambient music inside the tunnel enhance the immersive experience, making the wait more enjoyable. The comic section sign prints are a nice touch, providing a narrative context and adding to the overall theme.
During our initial experience, Superman Escape was not operational. This absence was noticeable, as when Superman Escape is running and its flying around its helices, the kinetic energy it brings significantly enhances the atmosphere of The Flash: Speed Force. However, when we returned a week later and Superman Escape was fully operational, the dynamic element it brought was undeniable. Watching Superman Escape zoom above and around you while waiting in the queue adds an exciting visual and auditory layer to the experience, making the entire area feel more alive and thrilling. This is something we recommend that everyone experience from inside of the rides queue.
Ride Experience
As we briefly mentioned at the beginning of our article, our first ride on The Flash: Speed Force was a bit of a letdown as it did not spin at all. This was disappointing, but if you were in the correct seats, you could still experience some decent airtime on the beyond-vertical spikes and as the train was being pulled back down.
We got back on the ride shortly after, as the queues were minimal, and this time it finally happened, the ride actually spun. When it spins, this ride is deceptively thrilling. The sensation of spinning combined with the rapid changes in direction and speed creates an exhilarating experience that far exceeded our initial expectations. The contrast between a non-spinning and spinning ride is stark, with the latter offering a much more dynamic and enjoyable ride.
Our only critique with the ride experience is the duration. It approximately lasts for 45 seconds, with the ride having 8 acceleration passes and 3 deceleration passes (information provided to us on Instagram). It would be better if the ride featured 10 acceleration and 4 deceleration passes, as this could potentially increase the total ride duration to 60 seconds, making the ride feel like 'a more complete experience'.
Operations
The ride's operations are slow—very, very slow. For a ride that has around a 45-second duration, dispatches easily take between 3-5 minutes. This can fluctuate throughout the day due to breaks, etc.
We observed the following operations: The grouper groups the passengers into the respective six-passenger sides, one red and the other yellow, for a total of 12 riders per cycle.
Once the ride has ended, only then can the grouper come down from the station to begin grouping (this usually only occurs when the ride is operating with minimal staff). The grouper then comes down and begins to group, and because people will be people, this can sometimes take a minute or two.
A simple solution to this would be to add simple red and yellow circles on the floor so that people could already organise themselves into their groups prior to the ride. When the grouper comes down, all they would have to do is check that there are just the 12 people and that there are 6 people standing on each side. Something as simple as this could be implemented through some small stickers on the ground:
When the ride is fully staffed, it operates slightly more efficiently, with the grouper staying at the stairs and grouping passengers as the cycle is occurring. Then, once the previous cycle's floor has raised, you can start to advance up the stairs. The grouper follows this group of riders up and, once the exit gate has been shut, you are allowed onto the ride and the grouper returns back down.
This process is slow and tedious. We have suggested above what could be done to slightly improve this.
Not to mention, there is also a member of staff out the front of the ride, requiring a minimum of four staff to operate it.
Loose Article Policy
Similar to all the other thrill rides at Warner Bros. Movie World, loose articles are not permitted on the ride. The ride has free-to-use storage boxes located on the ride’s station for your belongings. You cross the ride track to the boxes where you store your articles and then you ride the ride. Below is an overhead look at the station setup.
Delay in the Ride Opening
We strongly believe that the delay in the ride's opening was due to the custom restraint system the ride now has. When The Flash: Speed Force used to operate at Wet'n'Wild, it had a standard Intamin clip restraint for this ride model, as pictured below.
Additionally, the ride was initially set to reopen with the same restraint system as Surfrider, as depicted in all of the concept art released by the park
However, the ride has reopened with a new custom system. It is identical to Superman Escape's click seatbelt but now features a pin that rises while the ride is in motion, preventing riders from unbuckling the seatbelt. Only once the floor rises does this pin lower back into the restraint, allowing you to unbuckle and release your harness. This new restraint system has been featured in a video released by the park.
This custom restraint system likely required additional testing and adjustments, contributing to the delayed opening. This is the first time we’ve seen a custom restraint design like this on a Surf Rider coaster.
Conclusion
We find that the ride is actually a really good 'filler' attraction for the park. Despite the criticism it has faced, we think that anyone who is able to ride it should at least give it a try. If it doesn’t spin, try it again.
This ride is heaps of fun and deceptively thrilling.
P.S. For those wondering, we ran a poll on our socials, and this ride is indeed a roller coaster.
