Superman: Escape from Krypton Review, Six Flags Magic Mountain Launch Coaster | Is it in Danger?

[@RTRC_2012]

Honestly one of the coolest coasters I’ve been on, and one-of-a-kind too. It may be a one-trick-pony, but that trick is just so much fun and it’s an epic monolith to witness in action. Even the slower acceleration is a good thing in my eyes, it builds up tension before rushing up the spike.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's cool, but underwhelming for its size and speed.

[@RTRC_2012]

@@CanobieCoaster Yeah, it was clearly ahead of its time and a stepping stone for Intamin on their way to more impressive projects like Dragster. There’s all sorts of ways the ride could be improved, but also enough it gets right that would hate to see it change too much.

[@Joypyf]

It’s my 19th favorite coaster out of 235. A 1 trick pony indeed but I love the long, fast, backwards launch

[@keithstransitexperiences9749]

For Wonder Woman: Flight of Courage, it is a valley risk, so it can only run when it is 55 degrees or warmer.

[@zack9777]

Six Flags great adventure, LEts run Jersey devil in 35 degree weather

[@CanobieCoaster]

I heard Magic Mountain valleyed it. On colder days, Jersey Devil has to front-load, which is understandable. I rode it in the upper 20s last year.

[@thomasxl200]

From the mouth of the head mechanic himself (I did a backlot tour of the Magic Mountain shop last month, it was incredible), Superman's launch runs at 63% juice. Early on it would be around 70%. Makes sense why the ride would be dialed back but I'm curious to see what a full send launch would be like.

[@thomasxl200]

We also saw the right side car being worked on in the shop! It's almost done and it was really cool to see.

[@kriss_b]

I think the power drain on the grid makes this impossible

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's a really cool experience!

[@ericthomason8463]

Superman: Escape from Kyrpton blew me away when I rode it in 2021. I would describe it as simple, but effective.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Glad you loved it!

[@LanesAviationYT]

Fun fact: when Superman escape from krypton was refurbished in 2011, as you can tell there is a green car and a red car, the green car actually used to be on the left side of the track and the red car was on the right, then for some reason in late 2014 they switched the cars to opposite tracks, so if you search “Superman escape from krypton 2011-2014” you will see the green car on the left side, then if you search “Superman escape from krypton 2015-2023” you will see it has changed to the right side.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Interesting, never noticed that.

[@zacg_]

I rode this as a kid when it first opened and it blew my mind. It's still a bit unnerving looking down from up there, though it's more noticeable from Lex Luthor. I'm very intrigued by the idea of redoing the whole thing as a full circuit coaster. I know it would be logistically complex but I've always thought it would be cool to redo it as a full circuit launched flying coaster and then have you dive down the tower head first on the return. It would make a lot of sense with the Superman theme and also be a totally insane experience.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I would love for this to become a full circuit one day.

[@jaya1000]

When they reopened after covid they had Superman running 100%. I rode everything else once before riding Superman and it was the best ride of the day. Shame its not feasible to run it at 100% all the time. Something about being half way into the red

[@CanobieCoaster]

I heard it ran great right after that.

[@chris_allupinya5613]

Man I went right after covid and it was basically hitting the trim. I was so mad that I didn't get to get on any of those times cause the wait was always 2 hours

[@jaya1000]

@@chris_allupinya5613 I waited about 60 minutes. Worth it. Girls I rode with had no idea what they were in for. 0-100 in 7 seconds, thrown 365 ft in the air. Wish I could've done it 10 times. My guess is all the lsm's were functional upon reopening. They had to shut the ride down a few months after, probably hasnt been back to 100% since

[@chris_allupinya5613]

@jaya1000 yeah those first few months they were cranking it out. Still regret it so bad man. Welp

[@jaya1000]

@@chris_allupinya5613 I'm sure they'll give it another refresh some day. Lsm launches arent going out of style

[@thecoastergnome8603]

this is one of two credits I still need at magic mountain, the other is wonder woman. I went a little over a week ago and a bunch of rides where closed including both WW and Superman. I really hope its open the next time I go.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Hope you have better luck. Ride closures can be annoying at that park.

[@Rickmarine1]

I went to magic mountain back in November 2022, and while I did have fun, there were a LOT of rides closed that day. Super Man, Full Throttle, Riddler's Revenge, Scream, AND Goliath were all closed the entire day. I was pretty disappointed because I took my younger brother there as he hasn't been on any of the major rides there. Thankfully twisted colossus, tatsu, and X2 saved the day. As well as the drop of doom. A park employee said goliath was down do to repainting, and I think the other rides were closed do to short staffing.

[@thecoastergnome8603]

@@Rickmarine1 Goliath is still down and was down for me as well. Luckily I had been to the park before and the only credits I needed going in where Superman, Wonder Woman and X2 all three where closed at the start of the day, in fact every single coaster in the park was closed at opening accept full throttle and west coaster racers. Slowly a lot of rides opened including X2 which I did get to ride and holy crap it’s incredible! But sadly Wonder Woman and Superman remained closed all day. I was really bummed about missing Wonder Woman but I know I will be back sooner then later! Im only about 2 hours from the park and it’s one of my home parks so I will make it out there soon

[@Amrepdude499]

@@Rickmarine1 Riddlers Revenge has been down since mid fright fest because it developed a crack in the valley between the first drop and the loop. They have been working on it recently though and hopefully will get it repaired soon

[@justiceleaguebattleformetr9239]

This coaster is my #2 in the park after Twisted Colossus. I rode the left side back when it still ran backwards, and I had so much fun on it.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's a hot take for sure.

[@RemixedVoice]

I'd love to ride this backwards someday. I loved it riding it frontwards back in the day

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's neat trying both.

[@singlerailindustries1763]

Superman Is An Icon At Magic Mountain. I Don't Think The Park Would The Same Without This Gigantic Spike Towering In The Skyline. I Hope They Keep It Running For A Long Time.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I agree it's iconic.

[@doug8381]

I enjoy this ride a lot, especially as the first ride of the day to wake you up and warm up the senses. But that said I would never wait more than 15-20 mins for it, and will often only ride if it's a walk on. While I definitely wish we had a full circuit Strata instead, I enjoy SEFK for what is it and would definitely be sad if the park pulled the plug on it. Either way I'm curious to see what the future holds for it, and I guess the whole park in general.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I'm intrigued what will happen based on that survey.

[@shorebreakcards]

I was so disappointed when I fist rode this, but I'm stoked others enjoy it! Thanks for posting another great video!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks for watching!

[@nathancruz9172]

I’m glad I went to the forward facing on the left side of Superman escape from krypton last year. Also, I did remember riding the original Superman the escape 3 times as a kid, but it’s my 4th time as an adult.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Nice!

[@Jcjc-lr4bf]

Wow! That full circuit concept looks insane! Some of it looks just a little illogical, but it’s only an animation. I’m sure do they were even more serious about it, a more revised version would be released!

[@CanobieCoaster]

It definitely would be refined.

[@keithstransitexperiences9749]

On the survey, for inversions, one of the options was 15 inversions. Since Six Flags Magic Mountain's rides beat records, maybe one day, Six Flags Magic Mountain could steal the inversion record.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That would be something. This park already inverts you so many times across all rides.

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

Only the right side has ever run during my visits. I thoroughly enjoy the ride, and I like the unique aspect of how long that launch is. It's nice to be able to experience something different, even if more powerful launches are better. It's my # 8 coaster in the park.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I agree it's unique even if it isn't a marquee ride anymore.

[@mitchellries256]

This ride better not be in danger. I have unfinished business with it. When I visited this park in 2014, it was closed upon arrival. It opened up later in the day, but I didn't get over to it yet because I was too busy with other rides. By the time I finally got in line, it broke down again. Next time I visit, I am not leaving until I ride this.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Hopefully it's open for you.

[@xcoasterenthusiast]

Ok but are we going to ignore how Theme Park Review is now featured in footage used in a Canobie Coaster video?

[@CanobieCoaster]

Intamin often uses them for their official footage.

[@maverickheartlineroll]

Bruh what was that reimagining ☠️ that looks like one of my early PlanCo creations

[@CanobieCoaster]

I don't know what software they used.

[@ScottyMania313]

Great Vid! The first thing I noticed was Tower of Terror II in Australia reminds me and makes me miss Pittfall at Kennywood. hahaaha. So My question is this, would you consider the backward launch and forward launch to be different coaster creds? Also, what about the different sides, this could potentially be 4 creds in itself. I've always wondered what your opinion on cred counts is with rides like this, wing coasters, and racing ones.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I count both tracks as different. I don't count reversing a train as a new credit.

[@kaylawhipple7570]

This is one I don't often hear about but would love to experience.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's certainly unique.

[@fadedidentity]

it’s really fun don’t get me wrong, but I liked it more in it’s original form - mainly due to the trains. launching and climbing up the spike backwards is still a very thrilling and unique sensation. but the combination of arm covers on the end seats and over the shoulder restraints is incredibly restrictive and kills a lot of what used to make the ride great. I used to get an insane amount of weightless, floater airtime goodness. now, not as much. it’s still a lot of fun and definitely worth a ride when visiting the park, and it holds a lot of nostalgia for me personally. but if they used that plot for a much more modern and thrilling coaster, I wouldn’t be mad at all

[@CanobieCoaster]

The t-bar restraints likely would have been better.

[@occoastersandthemeparks4910]

Great video. Any chance magic mountains still has the other original train with those original restraints? I'm hoping they could return that train for forward and keep the new train with the over the shoulder restraints for reverse. It was not mentioned in the video but the new trains are also more size restrictive. I no longer fit on the ride. But back in the 90s and through the 2000s I always rode on the old trains no problem with the same body type.

[@WCfanboy]

Off-topic, but do you still have a corgi?

[@CanobieCoaster]

No, unfortunately she passed away.

[@denone5327]

This ride is okay. The launch is just so drawn out that there’s no “umpf” to it. In SoCal, I prefer the launch on Xcelerator for the punch in the gut feeling.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I prefer Xcelerator's launch too.

[@MotoCoreSteve]

The roar is still music to my ears lol

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's striking.

[@Paolo8772]

It didn't run when I was there but it looks like it has one of the world's best airtime moments on the top of the spike. It's not as good as either of the only two stratas and now you tell me it doesn't even get anywhere near 328'. At least I shouldn't feel bad missing it when I was there in late 2019. Thanks for posting this though!

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's like any vertical spike, just bigger.

[@BoulderDashBoy]

Great Review! I was confused by the time you said on where to sit. I believe the forwards side is only operating right now so will I sit on the right or the left side to get the front row? (Hope this made sense)

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks! Go towards the end of the station towards the spike.

[@RayBcv1030]

I heard a rumor that recently, the ride's server room caught on fire after an electrical malfunction. Meaning that extensive repairs are to be made if this were to reopen. Theres images of smoke nearby superman online and the ride has been closed since june. Which does not bode well for this ride.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I've heard that rumor. I'm interested what that could mean for this ride.

[@shorebreakcards]

WTF is that SFMM concept?!!? So janky I love it!!!

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's so odd.

[@shorebreakcards]

@@CanobieCoaster Even with over the shoulder restraints that crazy tophat would fling riders to the moon!

[@IceCreamIslander]

this is one of my favorite rides in the park. Maybe it's simple, but tall is tall and fast is fast. I'm hardly going to turn my nose up at 90+ mph and 300+ feet. And air conditioning.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's simple but it works.

[@mateoalvira7826]

Canobie Coaster would say: The final thing I want to touch on is the ride's smoothness. Some of these high speed launch coasters are known for having a shimmy, but I'm glad to say that Superman is extremely smooth even after all these years. Of the launch coasters with shimmying, which ones do you know? Examples:

[@CanobieCoaster]

Furius Baco is one.

[@zhanshi5110]

I went last week since school was out for me. It was a really busy day, except Superman had no line the entire day. I’ve been trying to go to Six flags when Superman was open since 2016!!!! But have had bad luck until most recently. I finally got to go on, and went on 5 times in a row. Just me riding it, nobody else was even in line lmaoo it was so cool

[@CanobieCoaster]

Nice!

[@nathancruz9172]

I went to Superman 2 times during grad nite.

[@flamingliger5533]

I really miss the Tower of Terror :(

[@CanobieCoaster]

Wish I could have ridden it.

[@nathancruz9172]

You can only get the tower of terror from Disney world.

[@iliketrains3546]

That full circuit concept looks like if they used arrow transitions on it

[@CanobieCoaster]

It looked very crude.

[@maxhagenauer24]

Definitely a 1 trick pony but a good one indeed. I wonder how it compared to ToT at Dreamworld. Positive Gs on the pullout and that crazy weightless feeling which is very different depending on which way you face. I just wished it made it up into the top of the red every time, but ToT was way worse at that as it only made it up half way most of the time by the looks.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I prefer a punchier launch but it's still fun.

[@Usercantwelve]

Also love top hats better than spikes.However still a Great ride. And yes Lex Luthor Drop made SMEFK shaky & scarier. Loves it!!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Me too.

[@VerticalLoop]

Have you ever seen it not launch? Sometimes it will just give up and slow down riders and they don't even get past 45 degrees on the spike. It's always funny to see it do that.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I have not seen that.

[@VerticalLoop]

@@CanobieCoaster I am a fairly frequent visitor during the summer. So I've seen it happen a few times.

[@bennieficial_9579]

Funny how the sound of this coaster made me think it was a B&M. I was shocked to find out it was Intamin when I did.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Definitely an Intamin

[@dopetechlab9619]

Where can i find the original video shown at 1:16?

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's Extreme Rides. I had a VHS tape of it from when I was a kid, but I believe people have posted it to KZbin.

[@dopetechlab9619]

@@CanobieCoaster what do i have to search? just extreme ride superman escape or what?

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's an hour long show. Superman is towards the end.

[@CoramDeo1977]

Can you do a review of Crazanity? I'm still too scared to ride it with my eyes open...I opened my eyes a few times last time i rode it and the horizon looked very beautiful but I'm still chicken.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I have one of Joker Carnival of Chaos. Very similar ride minus the theming.

[@Mendel0_0]

on crazanity, if u look above the horizon u see the ground, not the sky...😀

[@micoasters]

There is also a psyclone car at the Daytona speedway

[@CanobieCoaster]

Interesting, I didn't know that was there too.

[@DonkeyPopsicle]

a ride that's generally more interesting to look at and hear (and it can be heard all over the park) than to actually ride

[@CanobieCoaster]

It can be heard from outside the park too.

[@bennieficial_9579]

@@CanobieCoaster Yep. You can hear it from I-5 actually which is insane!

[@coasterlife.]

I'd Ride tower of terror all the time while it was still open, god I miss it, Hoping to make it there next year and fingers crossed its still open by then!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Hope Superman stick around for a while.

[@michaeltaylor1603]

I remember the dRaMa when they were building this ride + the countless videos of the teething pains to bring it to life. Kind of like the character Goofy. Is it a man/dog. No denying it's done a LOT to stay relevant in the coaster kingdom. The newest incarnation would be very interesting.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I'm excited to see if anything happens.

[@williampavichevich4877]

I Enjoy SUPERMAN. I've Never tried it Backwards, only Fowards. It is short, but the Weightlessness you feel is very sweet. It be Cool if they added to this ride, and where after you got done blasting up the Superman Lex structure, if you raced through the station and blasted up the exsisting RED Sky Tower. Depending how you ride Superman if you Start going Fowards, you'd end up going backwards up the Red Sky Tower. If you Choose to go Backwards than You'd end going Fowards up the Red Sky Tower. No Loops necessary on this shuttle Coaster. That be sweet. 😎🌴✌️

[@CanobieCoaster]

It will be interesting if that concept ever comes to fruition to extend the ride.

[@williampavichevich4877]

@@CanobieCoaster Only Problem there, is they'd have to Align the Tracks with Skytower because the 2 Towers are Not Even.

[@VelocicoasterFanboy]

AWESOME VIDEO!!!!!!!🤩

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks!

[@VelocicoasterFanboy]

@@CanobieCoaster You're Welcome

[@davidchuong714]

This is one of my home parks, but I still haven’t gotten this credit yet. It’s always down for some reason

[@CanobieCoaster]

It seems to be closed a lot.

[@williampavichevich4877]

GO Now, while you can, it's been Open for the Last few weeks. Unfortunately, Only the Left Side Car (Fowards) is Currently Running. But it's still much fun. Try it.😎🌴👍

[@chongarcia977]

I've driven from texas twice to MM to ride this..However both times it's been SBNO..😢

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's unfortunate. It is often closed a lot though.

[@jrax1713]

Haven’t ridden the backwards portion yet but it’s one of my bottom three in the park I honestly might prefer Revolution

[@CanobieCoaster]

I prefer it to Revolution myself.

[@jrax1713]

@@CanobieCoaster I have it right above it in my rankings but it’s only above revolution and Goldrusher

[@kylebusch4528]

Do you count this as 1 or 2 credits?

[@CanobieCoaster]

2, two separate tracks.

[@GoodCousinChris]

Wish it was open more often but I get it

[@CanobieCoaster]

It uses so much power.

[@andrewkowalczyk1156]

Congratulations to Six Flags Magic Mountain for re-gaining the title of Tallest Operating Roller Coaster In the World, also second fastest

[@CanobieCoaster]

Is it currently running?

[@bbbbbb111]

Basically, the concept of the roller coaster is outdated. Today's modern pendulum launch coasters offer more or less the same experience with the spike and much more. At the latest when magic mountain buys such a coaster, Superman becomes superfluous. At the moment, Six Flags wants to position itself more as a family park, so such a purchase is rather unlikely. But if I were the boss of Six Flags I would consider exchanging Superman for a new pendulum launch coaster because such an attraction would enhance the whole park.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I agree you can sort of replicate the weightlessness with some big pendulums, but I still like the acceleration aspect on the launch.

[@AC1097-eb2ss]

LMAO at that concept. Nothing says Superman like putting the riders through triple-digit G-forces.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Triple digit speeds.

[@dytamic]

are you going to uni? if so, when? i feel like it would be funny if i encountered you at random

[@dytamic]

@@LeafyGreenTea youtubers plan meetups all the time

[@RemixedVoice]

@@LeafyGreenTea 18+ is an adult, anyone over 18 can go to uni lol

[@CanobieCoaster]

I didn't go to Universal when I was in SoCal last month.

[@johnwoolley3239]

backwards launch

[@CanobieCoaster]

Fair

[@motrydooto1698]

it kinda looks like the more modern stratas

[@CanobieCoaster]

If only it went up and over.

[@motrydooto1698]

@@CanobieCoaster that would have been insane for the time!

[@ComposerConductor]

I hope Magic Mountain upgrades this ride. The ride is old, out-dated, not popular, and has a very high operating cost. A full circuit ride would be amazing, but I don't see the current Six Flags CEO wanting to invest in the high price tag that would come for such a ride to come into existence. Whatever Magic Mountain does, I think Superman and Viper will either be demolished, or drastically changed in regards to the layout, or be replaced with a completely different ride. I can see B&M or S&S replacing Viper, and Intamin, or Zamperla replacing this old Superman.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I imagine this one day will get changed in some way.

[@jtwoolley]

Ow! 100 mph!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Like a speeding bullet.

[@kenfrancisworld8720]

This ride is so meh. Please SFMM, bring back the Eagle's Flight!

[@CanobieCoaster]

I find it fun.

[@aarusharya5658]

this is a generally boring and family oriented one trick pony, but it definitely looks cool in the skyline.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It looks amazing.

[@aarusharya5658]

@@CanobieCoaster i agree. magic mountain wouldnt feel the same without superman(which you can hear on the other side of the park lol)

[@ducksfan_1149]

this ride is so mid. It could be mildly interesting if six flags bothered to operate both sides. But other than the credit inflating, it’s just a big ball of nothing.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I haven't seen them operate both sides together in a long time.

[@Kittyhat]

IMO it's more controversial to count this as a credit than something like Ripsaw Falls or Pretzel dark rides, underrated ride though

[@CanobieCoaster]

I definitely count this one myself.

[@zbreeziigaming3987]

Wonder Woman is faster than Superman

[@CanobieCoaster]

It feels faster, but Superman hits a higher top speed.

[@BateMasterJeff9887]

Just what we need. Another bot voice 🤖

[@CanobieCoaster]

Sorry, that's my actual voice.

[@cliquet3scliquet3s96]

Which Intamin restraint do you like more, the Intamin over the shoulder restraints or the Intamin t bar restraints?

[@CanobieCoaster]

T bar.