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 n. A long journey to a foreign or distant place, especially by sea.
Time Voyagers is a wholly underwhelming CGI 4D film, housed in the old "Pirates 4D" theatre.
| Opened |
2008 |
Manufacturer |
3DBA and Kraftwerk Living Technologies |
| Ride Type |
4D Cinema |
Official Rating |
Thrilling and Fun |
| On Ride Photo |
No |
Fastrack |
No |
| Height Restriction |
No; may not be suitable for the very young |
Chest Restriction |
No |
| Capacity |
492/show |
Duration |
8 minutes |
Time Voyagers replaced Pirates 4D in 2008, after 9 years of the swashbuckling adventure showing at Thorpe Park. Whereas Pirates 4D contained real scenes shot on location (and real actors - Lesley Neilson was a star), Time Voyagers is a CGI feast. It was originally made exclusively for Thorpe's sister Park, Gardaland, Italy, for 2007 but when Merlin and Tussauds merged, Thorpe Park copied Gardaland's attraction and dubbed English audio onto the film. Et voila - Thorpe's new attraction for '08 - a journey through space and time with Bix and Ting, your metallic guides in search of a group of lost archaeologists...
It's not good. Everything feels rushed. The English audio is sometimes hard to understand, the plot is thin at best, and a lot of the old Pirates 4D themeing has been ripped out to leave the Theatre feeling a bit soulless. A lot of the effects seem to be there for the sake of it, rather than because they enhance the experience. And simply replacing the P4D sail outside with a Time Voyagers one and calling it an all-new attraction is a bit cheap.
Having said that, Thorpe Park did work on some of the special effects within the Theatre, so guests should have a more reliable 4D experience. But the fact remains that Thorpe Park have swapped an established, funny film with a humourless, incoherent one. Time Voyagers isn't even as long as P4D (8 minutes!), and the storyline of the film bears no relation to the area of the Park it sits in. It even still shows the Gardaland logo at the end of the credits!
4D films in Theme Parks lose their appeal pretty quickly anyway, but more so when the quality is as poor as this. Time Voyagers is definitely a downgrade from what was there before. Give it a go only if it's a rainy day or you've done everything else on Park.
Positives:
- It's an indoor attraction, which Thorpe Park needs more of.
Negatives:
- Leagues below Pirates 4D. Soulless, humourless, incoherent, dull.
- Too short.
- Attraction seems completely out of place considering the area of the Park it resides in.
Verdict:
| Themeing/Presentation |
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| Smoothness/Comfort |
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| Enjoyment/Fun |
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Intensity/Scariness
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| Overall |
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"Pirates 4D was reluctantly retired as the film was in analogue format on a proper film reel and unfortunately disintegrating. A digital format was unable to be sourced and so here we have Time Voyagers for the short term until a proper use is found for the theatre!"
Anon, Thorpe Park, UK.
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