License To Thrill -- Comparing A Real Roller-Coaster Ride To The Imax Experience
They say there's nothing like the real thing. And when it comes to roller-coaster rides, they're right.
A new movie, "Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun," opens tomorrow, promising a cinematic sampling of the most intense roller coasters on the planet.
But how could a movie - even a 3 1/2-story visual dynamo at the IMAX Theater at the Pacific Science Center - ever hope to deliver the gut-wrenching, mind-numbing sense of impending doom that a real thrill ride delivers?
It would be easy to find out: Hop aboard the real roller coaster at Seattle Center, "Windstorm," then fall at the mercy of "Thrill Ride."
The differences were clear:
"Windstorm" roller coaster.
When: Open Friday nights and weekends. Open every day after June 1.
Where: Seattle Center Fun Forest.
Cost: $3.80.
Actual top speed: 60 mph.
Elapsed time: 36 seconds.
Thrill Factor: 7 on a scale of 10.
For information: 206-728-1585.
Our guide: Operator Lester Love.
His promise: Sometimes people lose bladder control. "I hope you brought a paper napkin," he raps to passengers.
His pointer: Sit in the rear for maximum "whip effect."
The action: Pulls passengers through gravity-defying twists, delivers a heart-ripping sense of flying completely out of the seat, then returns to base with all the subtlety of a head-on car crash.
The verdict: Wimpy compared to bigger roller coasters that bring riders closer to coronary malfunction. The 10-cents-a-second ticket price leaves one wanting.
"Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun"
When: Tomorrow through May 24.
Where: IMAX Theater at Pacific Science Center.
Cost: $5.50 for adults; $4.50 for kids and seniors.
Actual top speed: 0 mph.
Elapsed time: 40 minutes.
Thrill Factor: 4 on a scale of 10.
For information: 206-443-4629.
Our guide: Producer Charlotte Huggins.
Her promise: People have been screaming and losing their lunches at other screenings.
Her pointers: Lean with the curves, focus on a stationary landmark, and, if worse comes to worse, close your eyes to avoid getting ill.
The action: The movie is visually stunning, thanks to high doses of computer animation. Ride footage, about 12 minutes total, generates mild sensations of speeding along a track. But most of the movie is more like a middle-school film strip about designing rides for maximum oomph.
The verdict: A tease. While sometimes momentarily tingling, the "rides" heat up, only to pull away just before giving "riders" a satisfying rush.
The narrator's final words say it best: "It looks like your journey's over before it began."