The Dark Knight Coaster: Hate It, or Love It
by: Amanda Gagnon on June 23rd, 2008


Before riding The Dark Knight for the first time, I heard a plethora of bad reviews for it. Most of the articles and posts that I had read around various forums talked about how boring it was, how the effects were horrible, and how the ride was “painful to sit through”. When I went to Six Flags Great Adventure in late May, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to ride The Dark Knight. I couldn’t wait to see if all of the reviews were true. In order to prepare myself for the ride, I didn’t go into it expecting a roller coaster at the excitement level of El Toro, or expecting the force of Kingda Ka. I looked at the ride information and went in expecting a heavily themed wild mouse in a “box”.

Starting off the experience was probably the most amazing preshow I have ever seen in my entire life. Waiting in that room was like a ride in itself. The last thing I want to do is ruin the ride for people who have never been on it before, so I won’t say too much. You start out by watching a press conference with Harvey Dent on a large plasma screen. Momentarily, something happens and you are visited by the Joker. Amazing effects and lights are then put on, and the Joker leaves you with a question: “Why so serious?” The doors open and you go into the next part of the station. There is a screen to entertain you by putting a joker’s mask on your face. When you pass that screen, the ride is no more than 5 minutes away. You can watch the cars go in and out and see the expressions on the faces of the riders. The cars never stop moving, but it isn’t very problematic from what I witnessed. Once you get to the cars, you have the choice of sitting in the front or back row. Each car has four seats, so groups of more than four riders should figure out how to separate themselves. The lift is fairly quick for a wild mouse. Like the preshow, I don’t want to ruin the ride either. What I will say was that I loved the ride. It ranks as my second favorite wild mouse that I have ever ridden. It has cool holographic effects, and a lot of lights. You really feel like you are going through Gotham. When you exit the ride, you can look up and see cars going by almost directly above your head. The Dark Knight was a very fun ride, and in my opinion, a great addition to the park for families, not just enthusiasts.

For those of you who wish to ride The Dark Knight, I hope you take a minute to realize that it is no El Toro and no Kingda Ka. It is a heavily themed wild mouse. If you decide not to ride it based on reviews, reconsider. Take my word; you won’t know if you like it or not until you ride it for yourself. Despite all of the bad reviews I read, I think all of those people should ride it again going into it with the mindset I had. For me, the ride was extremely enjoyable and I would love to ride it again. Don’t be afraid to challenge me on this. Next time you are at Great Adventure, be sure to see for yourself. Don’t call a ride bad if you haven’t been on it. I bet you will love it as much as I did.