Superman Escape is an intense launch coaster at Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia.
This is an Intamin accelerator coaster and it’s one of the best of the genre.
This one has the familiar hydraulic launch, but it features some awesome
theming and a satisfying layout chalk full of airtime. In this video,
I will review Superman and compare the experience to the other accelerator coasters out there.
By the mid-2000s, Movie World was in desperate need of a signature thrill coaster.
At the time, the park only had 3 coasters. Lethal Weapon – The Ride was the park’s biggest coaster.
And while it looked appealing, this Vekoma SLC was a horrifically rough ride by all accounts.
The park’s other two coasters were far tamer. You had the Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster indoor wild
mouse and the Road Runner junior roller coaster. Village Roadshow, the park’s owner, announced $65
million of additions for their parks in 2005. And the headlining attraction was Superman Escape.
This would open on Boxing Day as Australia’s tallest and fastest full-circuit coaster.
The ride was placed on the site of the Movie Magic Special Effects Show and Looney
Tunes Musical Revue. This placement forever changed the entry experience at Movie World.
Superman’s top hat is framed perfectly with the entry archway and fountain.
It makes for one heck of a first impression once you enter the park. The bright red
track and royal blue supports really pop. And to top it all off, you have the trains.
They’re your familiar Intamin accelerator trains with one key thematic touch.
There’s a Superman statue on the back that appears to be pushing the train. It’s so neat to see.
There’s a viewing area in the coaster’s center giving a full 360 degree view of the outdoor
portion, but this may look radically different in the near future. The park is strongly rumored to
be receiving Wet n Wild’s former Surf Rider roller coaster and it is expected to be placed smack
dab in the center of Superman. The interaction of these two rides would be really exciting.
When it’s time to board Superman, you first will need to make a pit stop at
the locker area. Nothing can ride with you. All bags and items in your pocket must go in a locker.
These are complimentary while you ride and they’re large enough to fit most items.
I heard the park used to require riders to store glasses in the lockers.
This was because you load and unload in a separate area. I get why this was done for
convenience purposes, but it meant you could be partially blind waiting in the queue line.
Fortunately, the park now allows you to keep your glasses with you until you board. At that point,
you place them in a basket and it will be waiting for you at the exit.
Not having your phone with you causes two minor inconveniences. First,
if Superman has a lengthy wait, and that is a common occurrence on busy days, you will have
to wait through the queue without your phone. And this section is a big series of switchbacks,
so it’s not all that exciting. I wish the storage area was right before you board like most rides.
Additionally, if you have a virtual queue return time, you need to find an employee to
scan your phone’s QR code. They then give you a physical ticket. You then need to go to the
locker area to store everything. Then you give your ticket to enter the virtual queue lane.
The virtual queue is the best way to avoid a long wait at Superman. It is a free service
included with your park ticket. You can reserve one ride at a time on the park app.
Once your time is called, you have a half hour to return. Once you use your pass or it expires,
you can book another. And you are free to keep booking Superman over-and-over if you’d like.
Return times will run out on busy days, so make sure to grab one early.
The other way to skip the queue is to purchase Fast Track.
This is a pricey skip-the-line pass, but it can be a major timesaver if the park is slammed. You are
routed right into the station using the same line as the virtual queue. You can either purchase the
full system, which gives you one-time access to all of the park’s major rides, or you can
purchase single shots. The latter costs roughly $20-30 Australian dollars depending on the day.
Finally, you can head here first thing. Most people seem to start with DC Rivals,
so you can usually get a lap or two on this before most people make their way over there.
Now on days with inclement weather, prioritize Superman when it isn’t raining. These accelerator
coasters typically do not operate in any degree of precipitation and I imagine Superman is similar.
When you reach the end of the queue line, you are assigned a row. Whether or not seating
requests will be accommodated depends on the employee. Some strictly assigned seats front
to back while others would allow you to request or wait for a specific row.
I think the front and back cars are the best seats, but there are no bad rows on this coaster.
Superman has a 5 car train. Each car has 2 rows of 2, so each train holds a max of 20 riders.
The coaster has two trains. Both were in use when I visited, but I’ve heard the park has
a tendency to run one on slower days. This can cause the line to move rather slowly.
That’s especially true since dispatches aren’t all that fast.
I don’t fault the employees. I think it’s the policies they are given.
First, there usually was a delay grouping guests. Unlike many rides that have a designated grouper,
the one on Superman was also loading trains. Making it worse, that same employee also had to
go over to the unload platform to clear trains. And anytime a train advanced from
the unload or load platform, the employee had to be by their console in case of an e-stop.
Second, the employees had to walk the train multiple times while loading.
The first pass is when they check the restraints. Then they come back a second time with the
aforementioned bin to collect any glasses. They then need to move that bin to the unload area.
The silver lining with the slower operations is that it puts less wear-and-tear on the
launch system. These hydraulic launch coasters are notoriously unreliable
due to all their moving parts. The ones in the US are prone to frequent breakdowns. However,
I did not see Superman go down even once in my time at the park.
Once seated, you’ll find over-the-shoulder restraints similar to Six Flags Great Adventure’s
Kingda Ka. You have a hard bar across your lap and thin bars over your shoulders. I wish the
coaster had soft straps like Storm Runner or lap bars like some of Intamin’s other launch coasters,
but Superman’s restraints are comfortable enough. The ride is quite smooth, so headbanging
isn’t a major issue. There’s only one or two spots where you may weakly chop your neck.
The load platform is themed as a subway station for the Metropolis Rapid Transit. Once dispatched,
you hear audio of worsening tremors and are told to advance to the next station.
And the radio broadcast continues up to the main launch.
You then move through a dark ride segment. It’s quite impressive between its length
and practical effects. This section isn’t gravity-driven and that was a wise decision.
The drive tires move the train at a slow pace so you can appreciate all the details.
The dark ride section starts with a dark tunnel with flashing lights. You then pass a series of
lockers that are falling over and shaking. Then you pass a set of stairs that are flooding.
These first few effects remind me of Universal’s former Disaster ride. Then you pass some large
wrecked police cars. The situation looks bleak. You round a corner and stop. You hear Superman
and he says he will push you out of there. The whole build-up to the launch is spectacular.
It’s rare to get this level of immersion and theming on a thrill coaster, but I love it.
Once Superman stops talking, the hydraulic launch kicks in. And this is a very forceful
acceleration. You go from 0 to 62 mph or 100 kph in just 2 seconds. I think the larger accelerator
coasters have a slightly stronger kick, but this launch beats most other propulsion methods
handily. You whiz down the track. And the sense of speed is enhanced by its position.
The launch takes place in a dark tunnel and you have a headchopper with some track above you.
Once outside, you blast up a 130 foot or 40 meter tall top hat. I was actually surprised
to learn the top hat was that short. It looks and feels way taller! The train does slow down
mightily over the apex, but rest assured, you still get some aggressive airtime.
The airtime is similar to what you get on Hersheypark’s Storm Runner.
Those up front get very strong ejector airtime over the top. Those in back get some lift
going up. Then they are launched skywards on the descent. And that drop has an added surprise. It
sort of twists right, so you get a nice lateral kink with those negative Gs.
The pullout is powerful! You are smothered with positive Gs and rocket around a low turn.
This was an automatic greyout for me on each ride. This is the one transition where you
could tap your head on the harness, so brace yourself accordingly.
The rest of the layout feels like Alton Towers’s Rita or Heide Park’s Desert Race scaled way up.
The next element is a giant camelback. And you fly over this.
Every single row gets some thigh-crushing and sustained ejector airtime. I think this
hill may have better airtime than any hill on DC Rivals, which is no small feat. I also think this
has the best airtime of any accelerator coaster. You then head indoors for a brief but fast turn.
You get a great headchopper piercing through the building
and the speed is enhanced by mist effects. This seamlessly leads into a large s-hill.
This offers a few more seconds of good ejector airtime.
You then zip around another low turn. It’s not as forceful as the first, but it still has quite a
bit of power. You then jump into the brakes. I expected this transition to offer one last
bit of airtime, but you slow down before that can happen. Nonetheless, you still
slam into the brakes with a full head of steam and if you’re like me, you’ll be breathless.
Superman has 2490 feet or 760 meters of track. That’s not a lot of length,
especially since a decent chunk of it is occupied by the dark ride segment.
Yet this accelerator coaster feels more complete than others. While some have just
a launch and a top hat, Superman has that plus some extra turns and airtime hills.
The coaster section feels like a hybrid of Storm Runner, Rita, and Desert Race.
You have the speed, pacing, and top hat of Storm Runner with the crossover hills
of Rita or Desert Race. But those hills are noticeably larger and more intense on Superman.
There’s no dead spots on the outdoor section. So what would I rate Superman Escape? I’ll
give this launch coaster a 9.5 out of 10. This is a fantastic coaster.
It starts with the theming and story. The dark ride segment would fit in at a Disney or
Universal park with all those practical effects. Then the main coaster bit is exhilarating. The
hydraulic launch, airtime hills, and low turns are all powerful. I wish the outdoor bit had
a few extra elements, but this still has more to it than most other accelerator coasters.
So how does it compare to the other accelerator coasters?
Superman cannot beat Formula Rossa at Ferrari World. But that ride is admittedly a cheat code
with its absurd speed and length. But it does beat out Storm Runner for second place in my opinion.
So those are my thoughts on Superman Escape at Warner Bros. Movie World. What are your
thoughts on this Intamin launch coaster How do you think it compares to the other accelerator
coasters? Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it
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coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!