Why Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the true ‘Great Movie Ride’

All the hype and accolades for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the newest ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and soon to open at Disneyland, is warranted. 

The publicity for the ride suggests you will find yourself in the middle of a battle, but I would suggest the ride does better than that — it puts you in a movie.

What’s the difference? The idea is that you “join the resistance” and head on a mission, but there is no interactivity like there is in the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, where you actually fly the spaceship. On this attraction, you move through lines and on various ride vehicles. It is less about interactivity and more about cinema. This still meets Disney’s goal of giving you an immersive experience. 

The Great Movie Ride, which was the marquee ride Hollywood Studios and was closed to make way for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (scheduled to open March 4, 2020) had the tagline, “A Spectacular Journey Into the Movies.” In that ride you were placed on a vehicle that drove you through various movie scenes. Those views were like watching an old TV with a square screen, one small scene after another.

In contrast, Rise of the Resistance is a widescreen cinematic experience with huge set pieces and ride vehicle movement that makes it seems as if you are the camera on a film.

The attraction was created in a three-act experience, just like a movie. In the first act, you join the resistance and venture to the recruiting center where you get the necessary background to understand the story, get your orders and become recruits.

In the second act, you head out on your mission, get stuck in the middle of a space battle and get captured. You are placed in a holding cell to await interrogation. 

Act three is the great escape, when you must flee ship to find safety. 

I’m trying to be vague here because — like the movies — I don’t want to spoil the attraction for those who haven’t experienced it. There are also plenty of ride-through videos out there if you really need to see every moment.

As with any movie experience, I would suggest you put away your cell phone. Experience what’s happening around you, and see it through your own eyes instead of through a screen. The one exception: After you are captured there is an amazing photo op — a “wow” moment designed for social media.  

Take your time here. Soak in what you see and then take out the phone, grab some photos, take some selfies with the stormtroopers. Then put your phone away. 

You’ll be sorted into two lines — and it’s more than a bit ominous when black-clad soldiers order you to go to the left or the right. You then move on to the rest of your movie.

The last ride vehicle takes you through the action the way a camera dolly might. You zoom through the ship — under and around the legs of giant AT-AT vehicles — with laser blasts around you. The versatile ride vehicle moves smoothly, right, left and backwards. You even get to go up and down. 

Now, again, the ride is relatively smooth. While this is not a roller coaster, the last part is an adrenaline-filled thrill ride along the same line as an action movie. You must be 40-inches or taller to get on the ride and are secured in seatbelts.

The great thing about this attraction is that it doesn’t require 3-D glasses. 

You truly do feel like you are in the middle of a movie.