To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Movie Park Germany, the park has revamped its old simulator ride and reopened it as the brand-new Journey to the Forbidden Chamber dark ride. The park kindly gave us free tickets to come down and review this brand-new attraction in exchange for our always honest reviews.
So first and foremost, this simulator ride takes guests straight into the heart of a working Paramount Pictures production. As an officially licensed studio ride, the park’s “Hollywood in Germany” slogan is personified within this particular attraction.
Replacing the former Lost Temple ride, this particular experience stood out to me — and it wasn’t because of the ride itself (more on that later), but because of how accurate this portrayal of being an extra on a movie set was and how it puts guests straight into the heart of a day on set.
As you begin your day on set, you walk through the iconic Paramount archway and into Stage 16, passing a security checkpoint along the way. Extras are taken into a hot set where the production team are filming Journey to the Forbidden Chamber.
You then proceed behind the sets (wooden-backed structures were used for budget reasons, no doubt, but look no different to those inside a real film studio) and enter the chamber, passing production setups, costume racks, and lighting rigs along the way.
The attention to detail here is great; they’ve really gone through the setup with a fine-tooth comb that has no doubt been overseen by Paramount themselves to make it as accurate as possible.
Walking past props and set pieces further adds mystique and intrigue to the experience, as you’re left wondering what the actual set looks like.
I find the movie-making process fascinating, and this certainly gives you a taste of the action.
The pre-show is a fully immersive set complete with fire, smoke, and laser effects, and really does look the part. It’s heavily detailed, which is to be expected from Movie Park Germany’s rather impressive theming standards regarding their indoor rides, but it’s when we finally take a seat on the ride that the experience somewhat fades.
I’m not a huge fan of simulator rides — think King Kong at Islands of Adventure or Fast & Furious: Supercharged at Universal Studios. You simply proceed into a 360-degree theatre and watch a film unfold whilst the vehicle you are in tilts and wobbles a bit.
They’re not fun for me personally, but younger audiences absolutely love them, and that’s all that matters.
What stands out within this attraction, however, is a sense of purpose and direction, as the previous Lost Temple ride was always panned for not being quite sure of what it was, caught between a dinosaur thriller and a low-budget simulator. Thankfully, all of that has now changed, as there’s a nice story and immersion to the ride that, for me, is better than the ride experience itself.
The film you see onboard the ride is poor; it feels very cheesy and cartoony, but it does have a nice twist ending which brings guests back into the story the attraction is weaving regarding guests being extras on set.
Adding another behind-the-scenes movie-production-type ride puts it in the same boat as the Movie Studio Tour rollercoaster in that regard, with both rides having similar themes, but it’s great that this movie studio park is embracing and appreciating the work that goes into making these countless Hollywood productions.
Having Paramount Pictures onboard as official sponsors of the ride is a clever touch, and even more so is having the Paramount showcase at the end of the ride, featuring photo ops, a stand-up screening room for Paramount films, and a mini museum.
The one issue I had with the museum, however, was the lack of screen-used props and costumes from any Paramount Pictures productions. Maybe it’s something the park is waiting on or will add in the future, as that area can easily be switched up and adapted, but I was certainly hoping to see more physical props and costumes from famous Paramount productions.
It doesn’t have to be screen-used pieces; you could throw some production-used props in a cabinet and have the same impact, but that was certainly something I felt was lacking from the overall experience, with the museum being a little underwhelming to say the least.
Journey to the Forbidden Chamber isn’t a thrilling ride by any means, and if the ride had a long queue, I feel guests would be underwhelmed by the end product, but that’s the same for me on King Kong at Universal, a ride where the queue line is better than the ride itself.
It’s not particularly re-rideable either, which I’m sure the theme park is aware of, but it’s a lovely filler attraction that holds a high standard for all future attractions within the park moving forward, and given that some areas of the park need some TLC, there’s always room for improvements and new attractions.
Creatively, Journey to the Forbidden Chamber is a solid addition to the park that draws guests back into the cinematic heart that makes this theme park special.
If you’re a movie fan, you’ll love Movie Park Germany, and this new ride further reinforces the joy, magic, and wonder that embody a Hollywood production.
A dark ride (if albeit just the queue line) that will take you back to the movies.
