Seriously this is easily one of Disney's best attractions ever, on par with several classics like The Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Tower of Terror and Mickey's PhilharMagic. And keep in mind that this is coming from an outspoken critic of the Disney Sequel Trilogy and I can honestly say that I LOVED this ride and look forward to going through it again when I return.
Starting with the Pre-Show which is, IMHO, the Best Pre-Show in Disney History. It's honestly hard to say where the Ride ends and the Pre-Show begins. In about 10 minutes we get a message from Rey, get on a transport ship, are captured by the First Order, interrogated by Kylo Ren and are then quickly rescued by the Resistance. Again, this is all the PRE-SHOW!!! We're not even on the actual ride yet! This really is truly immersive as it gets you invested in the ride's story.
And then we have the ride itself which is a thrilling escape sequence as we go through the Star Destroyer, dodging blaster fire and, (if you're on the right transport), walker fire before Kylo Ren decides to deal with you himself. And then the Resistance shows up to help save you so we get this epic space battle that we catch brief glimpses of during our escape. And then have the final part were after a final run in with Kylo Ren we get into an escape pod and the ride briefly turns into Star Tours with a flight simulator as we head down to the planet.
The ride even makes good use of Finn, Poe and Kylo with the former two being the ones to mount a rescue while the latter is hunting you. Sure, it further solidifies that Kylo is a pathetic villain who can't even deal with tourists without getting his butt kicked but I'm willing to let this slide because, it's a theme park ride it's suppose to happen and at least him losing is a result of a ship bring thrown at him. Even the line was good as it really feels like you're in a rebel base with a lot of classic props that adds to the whole experience.
The Cast Members playing the First Order officers have to be having the time of their lives because they are promoted to insult guests and you can even engage in snark-to-snark combat with them. I actually got into a good round with the officer transferring me to my cell and the end our battle of snark went like this.
Me: Where were you when they were handing out the souls?
First Order Officer: In the back.
So, yeah, if your in Hollywood Studio or Disney Land go check this ride out, it's really fun and not only one of Disney's best attractions but a great example of how the Disney Era of Star Wars can create something great. Highly Recommended!
