30 before 30 – #19 Backdraft

One of my favorite places to go as a child was Universal Studios in Hollywood. It’s still a favorite now, but it was especially exciting when I was little. I loved the tram tour and the Back to the Future ride. I would do 2 days worth of homework in advance so I could go with dad when company was in town. Or go whenever I had the chance. But there was always an internal struggle, because I knew ‘the price’. I would have to survive the Jaws part of the tram and go to the Backdraft experience/show.

Jaws…while scary, wasn’t as bad because half the time the shark didn’t even work. But Backdraft always worked– and scared the living daylights out of me. Every. Single. Time.

Let me explain this experience. First you stand in the big line. Then enter the first room that explains how the movie was made. Then you enter another room, stand on a platform and the room in front of you is set on fire. Because standing in a room while it is set on fire isn’t quite enough to be terrifying…part way through your experience, the floor drops a few inches beneath your feet.

All I knew going into the movie was that someone dies at the end and it was a big deal. And I didn’t expect the movie to be so boring. I was checking the time multiple times to see if it was over yet. The movie, in my opinion, was forgettable..unlike the live version at Universal Studios.