I found a Jarvis app today that has a pretty nifty timer feature that I’m using right now to mete out 10 minutes. I found the app while trying to connect to the TMX app for the Marvel Experience. I didn’t find the TMX, but this is quite a consolation prize. In fact, the entire Marvel Experience had a bit of a consolation prize feel to it. Today we took the entire family to see Marvel’s newest 4D showcase. The traveling show parked itself in Scottsdale, Arizona near a collection of Cactus League ball fields. The scene started with $10 parking–a common figure in AZ event parlance. Once we hit the gate we hit our first of many snags.
The Marvel Experience is a multi-room digital playground based around an accessible storyline. The experience begins with a check in. You’re provided a shield wristband with a sensor in it and told to wait on line. You stand in a queue until enough people who are checked in for the same time slot as you to arrive for them to play the first ‘movie’. That first clip introduces you to Spiderman and Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson edition). Fury says you are an agent in training and goes on to describe what that is going to be like. In the next room you get to watch agents in action flying around on the screens above your head. The main villain is introduced and you are introduced to your role in this story. After a moment, the doors to the main hall open and you and your entire batch of new recruits stream in. This is where the show proceeds to fall apart.
The problem is too many people and too few activities. The lines were nuts. There were 7 main ‘experiences’ that each involved some sort of video projection and some minor physical activity (climbing, aiming, etc). Almost everything was built around kinect sensors, which meant the motion response was good if a little slow on the uptake. The people running the stations were hit or miss. Some of the workers were fantastic and were really into the show. Others seemed overwhelmed and incapable of handling the crowds or stations. This was by far the weakest part of the event. Though it could have been great, the long lines meant you spent 30+ minutes waiting for the more popular events. If we had all day that would be fine, but after an extended amount of time (2 hrs?) your wristband buzzes and you’re politely asked to move on.
Moving on was the best decision we made. Though the rest of the experience goes quickly, the last three rooms are based entirely on the technology you see at Disney Studios. This is a fully immersive 3 and 4d experience that, though quick, was highly enjoyable for kids and grownups alike. If I had to rate the Marvel Experience on the last 3 rooms alone, I’d give it 4 stars. Given that the rating is collective of everything, 3 stars is the best I can offer.