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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:21 pm Post subject: Theme park movies. Which ones the best?
With the release of Adventureland movie on video I wonder what are the best theme park movies. Now theme park movies isn't nothing new, but not many are any good.
So, I wanted to know what everybody thoughts about theme park and which ones the best.
Rollercoaster is the fan fav for it's direct theme park story with King's Donimion and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Now Coaster Radio did a commentary to the movie which is worth checking out but what does anybody think about theme parks in danger.
Another movie that was set in a theme park was Beverly Hills Cop 3. Think Die Hard at a theme park it's pretty much what the story is about. Now I don't think this was the best Beverly Hills Cop movie and even Eddie Muphy has gone on record saying this was crap. Film at California Great America in Santa Clara which I think most of the west coast peep’s including a podcast host has visited in the past. It' was a mock of Disneyland with the park re-theme as Wonderworld. It' even had some Disney folks in it like Robert B. Sherman who’s in movie and wrote the mock theme song with his brother of Wonderworld heard in the movie. Alan Young played a Disney-esque character called Uncle Dave. He was the voice of Uncle Scrooge McDuck on the Duck Tales show too. John Landis was a Disney fan which explains the Disney mock in the movie. But the movie did show theme park at work and some inside workings, but still wasn’t a good movie. Hopefully Beverly Hills Cops 4 is better.
Adventureland the new film to join the theme park cinema. While it failed to win box office gold it was not fair well by critics as well. Film at Kennywood Park it sub in for the real Adventureland that had change too much for the film. I have yet seen the film, but I will make this a must see even if it turn out to be bad.
The Jurassic Park movies are another of theme park movies that goes way over the top. Its story by Michael Crichton about clone Dino’s run amok in a theme park zoo thrill the movie public, as well as, myself and awe with the breath taken special effects. While it’s sequels never live up to the first movie it has left a place in movie history as a pop icon what includes a real ride at the Universal Studios parks.
Author Michael Crichton seem to be inspire by Walt Disney and his parks because is early works seem to be very Disney like with Westworld and Futureworld. The movies show theme park from the dark side of tech going wrong and world domination plans
Even Sea World got into the movies with Jaws 3 in 3-D. Film in Orlando Sea World it has the big shark terrorize the park if you can get pass how a shark can get in land lock Sea World park.
Of course, Six Flags Magic Mountain has been the setting for so many movies and TV show, but few has devoted and entire movie to the park like these movies. 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain and Kiss meets the Phantom of Park.
I totally forgot to add this in. It's a teenage drama at a defunk park. What can I way, never seen it?
Here's the plot. In pursuit of fantasy, five teenagers hop the fence of a now defunct amusement park. While apparently a mindless diversion, for two of them the park is the setting for a more fatal bid at escape.
Link to the trailer
http://www.comcast.net/video/rollercoaster/599801594
Thrill. This movie started Antonio Sabato Jr. and was about a disgruntled worker rigs a bomb, triggered by a motion sensor, on the roller coaster at a financially troubled amusement park. Filmed at Santa Curz park it was one of those TV Family Channel movies. I saw a trailer, but I sure miss this one. HMMM.
link to imdb page of the movie. No dvd or video release yet.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117902/
Ok theme park ride movies is another genre of movies that is become the new franchise for Hollywood. While there are some big ones there were also some flops too. Which is your favorite.
Two Eddie Murphy theme park movies, I see a trend.
But there seem to be no end to theme park movies with these films coming soon.
Tomorrowland, The Jungle Cruise, another Tower of Terror movie, and a Knott’s Berry Farm movie. There seems to be no end to this new hot property.
You know somebody should do review of all these theme park movies, just like the Coaster Radio Rollercoaster commentary. Maybe something like this.
For me it's Jurassic Park. Even though Rollercoaster hold a special place, just for showing one of my home park Kings Dominion. I would have add that Final Destination movie or Vacation even Stephen King's Ride the Bullet. But those movies used theme park and their rides as plot devices. Sudden Impact was another or even that Getting even with Dad all used theme parks as a plot devices. I'm a pretty big Stephen King fan so "Ride the Bullet" might be up there for me too. Hey it has David Arquette in it. Wasn't Coaster Radio trying to get him to do there intro. HMMM..
Hey how about tv show. Like the CSI one that did a story about Roller Coaster. Also I a big Gil Grissom fan and his character love roller coaster.
I wouldn’t consider National Lampoon’s Vacation because they used the theme park as a plot device. The whole movie is really a road trip. It’s more about the journey then the destination. Films like Sudden Impact and Final Destination 3 used a theme park or it’s ride as a plot point and not part of the whole story like Beverly Hills Cop 3 or Rollercoaster did in their movies. But hey National Lampoon’s Vacation is a great movie and if it should be part of the theme park cinema family, I’m all for it.
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