Review: Terminator Salvation coaster debuts at Six Flags Magic Mountain

Terminator Salvation at Six Flags Magic Mountain has everything I like in a roller coaster — a smooth ride, unrelenting speed and plenty of off-your-seat airtime. There’s even some theming thrown in for what’s sure to be long waits this summer.

So, is the $11-million Terminator Salvation the greatest roller coaster in the world? Of course not. It’s not even the best wooden coaster at Magic Mountain (Colossus remains my favorite).

Of course, comparing the tightly twisting and turning Terminator Salvation to the classic out-and-back Colossus is like grafting a post-apocalyptic theme onto a wooden roller coaster. Some will say it can’t be done and some will do it anyway.

For me, Terminator Salvation perfectly threads the needle as a hybrid family-friendly thrill ride — providing a healthy dose of terror-tingle for tweens and soccer moms while delivering just enough adrenaline for speed junkies and coaster freaks.

Personally, I found the overall sensation disorienting — the twists, turns and tunnels leaving me constantly bearingless, a fitting feeling for a dystopian-themed coaster.

Magic Mountain spent $1 million adding the Terminator-factory-turned-safe-house theme to the ride — mostly in the pre-show queue areas. The coaster itself got only a few flourishes — a trio of fog-filled tunnels, fireball-spewing special effects and on-board audio (a first for a woodie). But by and large, the 55-mph coaster largely drops the Terminator Salvation theme as soon as the train leaves the station.

And while I give Magic Mountain kudos for upping the entertainment ante, they need look only a few miles south on the I-5 Freeway to see how to truly theme a roller coaster. Imagine, if you will, a coaster that took you inside a Terminator factory. Here’s hoping Magic Mountain continues to push the creative envelope in the future.

For now, I’d put Terminator Salvation on my “must ride” list during any visit to the Valencia amusement park. It ranks right up there with Goliath, Tatsu and X2.

Complete coverage:
> Magic Mountain adding wooden coaster in 2009
> Work begins on Terminator wooden coaster at Magic Mountain
> Complete details on Terminator wooden coaster
> Movie stars add back-story to Terminator coaster
> First look at Terminator Salvation coaster trains

Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the Los Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland. Follow Funland on Twitter.

— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer

Photos: Theme Park Review and Six Flags Magic Mountain

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 5:21 pm by Brady MacDonald and is filed under California, Family & Kids, Los Angeles, Magic Mountain, Theme Parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.