.Taking a Ride with 007
KINGS MILL, Ohio -- It's a given that the entertainment world tries to spread its bets, just ask Elliott Carver. Big-budget movies become the basis for novelizations, home video and amusement park rides.
James Bond is no exception, although the "License to Thrill" ride at Paramount's Kings Island is a relatively modest effort. That's because the Bond movie studio, MGM, is the weakest in Hollywood and doesn't own its own amusement parks. Thus, "License to Thrill" was licensed to Kings Island, part of the Viacom entertainment conglomerate.
"License to Thrill" is a glorified simulator, with your seats vibrating and moving to simulate the senations of what's happening on screen.
As you wait to get in, a nine-screen bank of monitors shows an introductory video. Judi Dench and the late Desmond Llewelyn are in character describing a mission Bond is undertaking. A woman scientist has found a way to control earthquakes but a "techno-terrorist" wants to kidnap her. The introductory sequence is cute and it's nice to see Dench and Llwelyn pick up some spare change. But there are a couple of problems. One, we see a MI6 logo that looks remarkably like the FBI logo. I was under the impression that the British government still officially refuses to acknowledge the existence of MI6. Dench also refers to the "MI6 branch of Her Majesty's Secret Service."
More of a problem is the fact the bank of video monitors is apparently showing its age. You're supposed to see one big image, as if the nine monitors were part of a mosaic. But not all of images from the monitors seem to be completely aligned. And the picture from a couple of them is poor. The overall effect is watching something filmed in Headache-Vision.
Once inside the attraction itself, you strap yourself into the seat (there are about a half-dozen rows of seats). Supposedly, Bond is wearing special glasses that will enable you to see, and feel, everything he is experiencing. The giant room goes dark and we see the familiar Eon-produced gunbarrel, with one exception: Bond's face is in shadow, presumably because they'd have to pay Pierce Brosnan if they used the gunbarrel from one of his movies.
The sequence that follows is like a typical Eon-made action sequence except it's all Bond's point of view. You do get shaken and stirred quite a bit and the soundtrack is very loud, about what you'd expect from similar rides that simulating a helicopter in flight or what not. Bond's voice sounds sort of like Roger Moore's (but not quite). I'm also not quite sure why Bond fires a pistol equipped with a silencer. Generally, you need a silencer in a situation where you're trying to maintain a low profile. The kidnapping of the woman scientist is all out in the open. Meanwhile, it sounds as if the producers are using some of David Arnold's "Tomorrow Never Dies" score, mostly selections from the second half of the movie.
In all, "License to Thrill" is OK, but it's not worth making the trip all by itself. On the other hand, it's probably a good summation of what Eon's thinking these days as to what makes a good Bond movie.
Kings Island is about 25 miles northeast of downtown Cincinnati on Interstate 71. Admission is about $35, though you can get discount tickets from various sources.
If you go:
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