An action packed Movie Day! (Universal Studios Hollywood (California))

Member Name: denise40

Product:	Universal Studios Hollywood (California)
Date:	07/10/08 (196 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots to do

Disadvantages: Too little time

Universal Studios - Hollywood

Universal Studios in Hollywood is the largest film and television studios in the world. It is also a larger than the one I went to in Australia. To see the shows and the whole area properly it would take two days. I only took one day to go around it but I wasn't going on most of the rides available. We decided to do a tour to the studios from our hotel with a company called VIP Tours. To be in the park all day it cost $89 for an adult and $75 for a child. One American dollar is equal to 0.57 United Kingdom pounds. This price was transport to and from the park and entry into the park itself. Once inside the park you can do as you please. In this price all rides and attractions are included. So trust me you will be entertained all day!

**SHOWS & TOURS**


- Special Effects Stages

This show lasts 30 minutes. It will let you see how to create special effects for Universal's biggest movies. The audience are included and can participate. I found it interesting and you seen how easy it was to bring a movie to life by sounds. The only thing I would say is that they have a robot and things go wrong and he comes to life. He runs around the stage after people which might be frightening to younger children, maybe take a seat at the back far away from the front of the stage would be advisable. I do recommend this show a lot!

- Backdraft

You are warned before you go into this show that some effects may be too intense for children. It is based on the hit movie and really is a demonstration on how they can use fire as special effects. It really is impressive you can feel the heat on your face once you are inside.

- Fear Factor Live

I went to see this show and to be honest, as I have never heard of Fear Factor before I wish I hadn't. It is an audience participation show, which goes to the extreme. You could have signed up if you had of wished to do the stunts. It included gravity defying stunts (had to hold onto bars from a height), live creeping creatures (like maggots and spiders) and audience participation. Personally this show is my type of thing. I felt like I had wasted 30 minutes but if you are a fan of the show you may like to see this.

- Universal's Animal Actors

This is a lovely show, which brings out the animals that are used in films. They will show you how they train them to do tasks and you can watch them perform live. It lasts 15 minutes and I feel it is worth while to go to watch for all the family. Children will enjoy this show as much as adults will.

- Shrek 4D

This is a 4-D movie where you will watch Shrek and Donkey trying to save Fiona. It made me laugh and the effects were fantastic you really feel like you are inside the show itself and on the mission with Shrek yourself. The 3-D movie is the best I have seen and the special effects were funny to feel. If you wish to not have a moving seat you can sit in the back. I would recommend that you wait in the queue for this one as it was worth every minute if I had enough time I would have went on it over and over.

- Waterworld

There was a lot of hype going into this show and unless you have seen the film you may not find it extremely interesting. It includes stunts, explosions and at the end an aeroplane flies onto the stage. My partner loved the show but I found it less interesting than him, it only lasts 15 minutes. We had to wait over half an hour to get into the show though.

- The World Famous Studio Tour

This was one of my highlights of the day! You get to see how Hollywood magic really happens. You get to see the famous backlot with the sets of several famous films and how they work behind the scenes. One of the most spectacular ones was the smouldering plane crash set of War of the Worlds it was rather eerie driving through. Other sets were from Ghost Whispers, Jaws, Fast and Furious and Desperate Housewives. Unfortunately the day we were there Desperate Housewives were closed so we only got to see the outside of it. We also got to see the outlay of Skull Island, which is very tiny. Within the backlot you get to meet King Kong and experience some mishaps! You may be lucky to see a star or catch some filming, unfortunately we seen neither.

- The Blues Brothers

This is a show where you will see the Blues Brothers on a mission to get the Chicago band together. They will play some song live and it will last 20 minutes.


**MAIN RIDES**


- Revenge of the Mummy Ride

I never went on this ride but it is a rollercoaster, which will throw you forwards and backwards in the dark. Not really my kind of thing!

- Jurassic Park The Ride

Another ride, which I didn't go on but my partner did, and he loved it. He said it was one of the best rides he had gone on in a long time. It is a water ride where you come face to face with a dinosaur and from you plunge down an 84-foot vertical drop to the bottom where you get soaked!

- Terminator 2:3D

I wanted to go on this but unfortunately time would not let me as the queues were very long. All I know really is that it is a 3D-cyber adventure.

**OVERALL**

I really enjoyed this park and felt that every penny I had spent was well worth it. If you like to go on the rides and see everything you would need about 2 days in this park. We had one and we got around it all but I felt it was rushed, as there was so many things to see and do. I wanted to see as many shows as I possibly could. They have restaurants and toilets scattered about the park. Water fountains were scattered about the place too, which was handy to fill up your water bottle, as it was rather warm when we went. If needed lockers, an ATM, stroller and wheelchairs could be got if needed. I liked the atmosphere of the park even though it was busy. There were lots of shops with different themes, which you could spend hours browsing in. They had so many souvenirs it was hard to pick which ones to buy. All in all I would recommend that if you were ever in LA to give here a try as it is an enjoyable day out for all the family.

Summary: A great day out