What Bond fan has not had the desire to step into the shoes of James Bond? At Paramount's Kings Dominion, (and formerly at Paramount's King's Island), they can do just that. They can do this through a very exciting, inventive James Bond ride; "James Bond, Licence to Thrill". So maybe the ride's name isn't that great, but the ride itself is.
The ride starts before the rider ever actually gets strapped in. Throughout the line the Bond themes are blasting away and one can't help but sing along. Also featured along the wait are Bond's BMW motorcycle from Tomorrow Never Dies as well as some crates shipped by Universal Exports: even I don't know what's inside them.
Once inside, M will inform you that you have just applied for a Double-O position and that you will ride alongside Bond while MI6 evaluates your physical response.
After listening to a top secret debriefing by Q and M, a slew of lucky agents are strapped into (literally) the adventures of 007. The ride itself is a movie, which is watched while the audience is strapped into fully active chairs. These chairs tip, tilt, and turn in response to the action of the movie. As the theater darkens, the Bond music begins to play and the classic gun barrel sequence rolls. However, this time Bond is shooting at you and boy can you feel the jolt.
The adventure begins with the beautiful seismologist Dr. Callie Reeves being kidnapped by the evil techno-terrorist Gunther Thorne. Over the next four minutes you will ride motorcycles, jet boats, planes, trains, and experience free fall. The whole while the entire audience is being jolted, jerked, shaken, and of course, stirred.
The stunts were incredible and the dialogue was well written by GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies screenwriter, Bruce Feirstein. The only thing that could be improved is the voice of Bond. Since Judy Dench and Desmond Llewelyn could actually be in the movie, one would think that at least one of the five actors to play Bond could have been asked to be Bond's voice. Instead, we get a no-name guy who doesn't sound like Bond at all. (The voice is too deep.) I don't know who this guy is, despite quite strenuous efforts to find out his name on the web. Oh well.
After walking out of the theater, I had to ride the ride again, because let's face it, one time is just not enough to take in the whole experience. There is too much.
So if you're in the neighborhood of Kings Dominion, fancy a trip to Virginia, or happen to live close by, License to Thrill is definitely worth checking out. A perfect introduction to the world of 007 for beginners, and a dream come true for fanatics such as myself. Better hurry though. The ride was removed from King's Island, and who knows how long it will last in King's Dominion.Back to Lesser Media Page
