Skull Island Reign of Kong Review
King Kong fighting a T-Rex isn’t as exciting as you might imagine
Who would have thought that a ride based on King Kong would be good to sit down and relax? Well, even if this one tries to be scary, I love to come here to rest my legs after staying in line for hours to ride the VelociCoaster or *deep breath* Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
Skull Island is a trackless dark similar to a few others out there, most notably - and do not get scared - Fast & the Furious Supercharged at Universal Studios. Relax, Skull Island is better than that ride I shall not name again with Vin Diesel and The Rock. It has a better atmosphere, an awesome queue and some fun setpieces. Would I call Skull Island a must see attraction in Islands of Adventure? Nah, but it’s a good option to visit at least once or go if you want to kill some time before moving between attractions.
The Good
Even though I'm not a big fan of the ride itself, I have to admit, the queue is impressive. I love all the little details, and honestly, it's probably a better spot for taking pictures and making memories than the actual ride. Universal created a queue that is all about exploring a distant, mysterious island with a touch of horror. You will see ugly witches, weird creatures and a whole lot of skulls. Whoever named this island did it right.
As for the ride, imagine a mix of The Fast & the Furious Supercharged and Revenge of the Mummy. This isn’t a roller coaster by any means and you won’t be getting thrown around, but the atmosphere is very similar to the Mummy, with animatronics of giant bats and bones everywhere. I’d say that the atmosphere is pretty good, managing to be scary and putting you in a place that breathes danger.
The Bad
I really wish Skull Island relied more on animatronics and practical effects rather than digital screens. You see, Skull Island is very different from The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and Transformers 3D, especially in terms of dark rides. While those rides feature plenty of visual effects, they cleverly combine them with practical elements to create fun set pieces. Take, for instance, the moment when the Green Goblin hurls a grenade at Spider-Man. The grenade explodes and a real tower next to your vehicle blows up as it's taken by (real) flames.
Skull Island relies too much on digital screens, which is a shame considering that there were amazing animatronics in the queue. It used to be a 3D ride, but they have ditched the glasses in 2024, which kinda says a lot about the visual effects not being all that impressive to start with.
Your vehicle moves and stops every once in a while, with huge digital screens on both sides where the movie plays. The screen quality isn’t that great to begin with and the scenes are mostly okay. You will see flying dinosaurs, velociraptors, giant worms and Kong fighting a T–rex while your vehicle is in the middle of these giant creatures.
Your truck does move and tilt a bit as the action happens on the screen, but I wish it was more immersive. I think the lack of 3D now and the screen quality just doesn’t help this ride. There is just something missing to make it truly worth your time. I do think that an attraction that features a giant gorilla fighting a T-Rex should be more exciting than that.
Will Kids enjoy it?
Many young children might find this ride too scary. The queue is quite intimidating, with numerous skulls and creatures, and it's dimly lit. While it's not as dark as Revenge of the Mummy, the atmosphere aims to give you a good scare.
Funny thing is, the ride itself isn't as spooky as the queue. Your vehicle doesn't move much, and those creatures on the digital screens never quite look real. Kids under 10 might not dig this ride as much, but teenagers will probably enjoy it a little more.
