Product Details

• Directors: Ned Rogers
• Format: Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Goldhill Home Media
• DVD Release Date: May 2, 2000
• Run Time: 57 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004TJSG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,243 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Taking full advantage of the DVD format, this installment of the Roller Coaster Thrills series offers viewers a choice of two camera angles for each of the 20 rides captured on this disc. Anticipate the fear of that initial heart-stopping plunge with a first-person perspective, or face backward and watch the reactions of the riders--either way, it's a great ride. The virtual tour across U.S. theme parks includes old-fashioned woodies, dual-track looping coasters, and colossal steel mega-coasters with 300-foot drops. Many of the featured coasters were built in 1999 and show off the latest advances in roller coaster engineering; in fact, one launched coaster has apparently garnered interest from NASA engineers for the speed of its propulsion (0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds). The disc is also packed with special features: amusement park histories, interviews with roller coaster designers, behind-the-scenes insights from director Ned Rodgers and director of photography Dave Cutler, plus Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, and bonus footage of the first combination roller coaster and water ride. --Larisa Lomacky Moore

Paul Ruben, Park World

For hearth pounding thrills, this is the next best thing to being there.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rollercoaster fever!, July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills: The Ultimate Scream Machines - DTS (DVD)

Finally a rollercoaster documentery with old AND new scream machines! This DVD is PACKED with incredible thrill rides from the beloved Magnum XL-200 to the brand new scream machines never before captured on video or DVD such as Superman Ride of Steel. Included on this DVD is a selection of rollercoasters from around the country, including: Incredible Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Gwazi, Medusa, Apollo's Chariot, Alpengeist, Twister, Great Bear, Riddler's Revenge, Superman: The Escape, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Raging Bull, Viper at Six Flags Great Adventure, Joker's Jinx, Ghost Rider, Superman Ride of Steel, Steel Phantom, Magnum XL-200, Desperado, and Coney Island Cyclone! An INCREDIBLE selection! Also included is a special feature that has a view on the worlds first and only water coaster (Buzz Saw Falls). Not only does this incredible DVD have great coaster choices, it also has the best selection of special features. It has it all from history lessons on certain parks, a very cool "angle feature" on practially every ride! Some interviews with park owners AND designers (including the very cool people who brought us Islands of Adventure!). This DVD also has its own personal soundtrack! The first i know of. Finally this is a perfect DVD for anyone (not just coaster fanaticts!). It has interesting footage and uses sound systems to its fullest (especial the DTS)! So this is definatly a MUST have for ANY coaster fanatic AND anyone looking for a GREAT DVD!

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, May 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills: The Ultimate Scream Machines (DVD)

I've seen all the roller coaster videos and this, by far is the best! It truly uses all the advantages of DVD and surround sound audio. You can choose from three angles on the coaster ride sequences and the sound puts you right in the action. When the coaster curves left, the sound curves left, when it rushes by you left to right, the sound rushes by left to right. On the looking-straight-ahead shots you've got screams coming out of the rear speakers from the riders behind you. If you have a good home theater system, crank the sound all the way up and you'll feel the rumble of the coasters right down to the soles of your shoes. And the rock and roll music track is killer, but it doesn't overpower the screams and natural sounds of the coaster. It's a great audio mix. The coasters included are the latest and greatest ones, like Apollo's Chariot, Medusa, Joker's Jinx and Raging Bull, along with some all time favorites like Magnum XL 200, Steel Phantom and Coney Island's Cyclone. And the extra stories you get are terrific. There must be three hours of total programming on the disk! There's a history of Cedar Point, a history of Kennywood, a story about Silver Dollar City, Branson, MO, interviews with designers of Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, FL. It has a complete evening's worth of entertainment. This is a must for coaster enthusiasts, since it faithfully documents each coaster ride from leaving the boarding station to the return, but also it's great to show off the capabilities of your DVD/surround sound home theater system.

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reliving my Coaster Summer!, December 31, 2000

By 

Rob Rangi (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills: The Ultimate Scream Machines (DVD)

Being from New Zealand, rarely do we have the pleasure of riding such awesome Rollercoasters as those listed on this DVD. This Summer, I had the pleasure of holidaying in LA and Orlando, spending much time at parks like Six Flags Magic Mountain, Orlando's Islands of Adventure and Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay. This DVD had all the great Coasters I had ridden: Dueling Dragons, Hulk, Gwazi, Ghostrider, Riddler's Revenge and Superman: The Escape. It was easy to show my Friends all the great rides I had been on and by utilising the Multiple angle feature, I could show them different POVs (Points of View) in sync with the photos I had taken at each Park/Ride. From a personal standpoint, I enjoyed the interviews explaining unique features of a particular Park/Ride especially the one with Universal's Islands of Adventure team. I would love to see more this 'Behind-the-ride' or 'Making-of-the-ride' stuff included in future releases. Most of my letdowns have been noted in other reviews; Only one side of Gwazi and Dueling Dragons (Fire) is shown (This not entirely true, Front POV is Fire but the People riding in Angle 1 and 3 are on Ice) Medusa is TOO fast and as mentioned a promo film from Six Flags. I also believe Superman: The Escape and Magnum XL-200 are 'recycled' footage. Why? No Goliath or Millennium Force in the background of their respected parks. OK so I'm being pedantic, but I believe the Riddler's Revenge footage has been cut down in all Angles so you get about 75% of the full ride. Another Pet peeve of mine is the sheer fact that Angle 2 (Front car POV) sometimes switches between Front POV, Side POV and sometimes 'look back' POV to the people on Board. This is most obvious on the Apollo's Chariot footage which really distract from what would be an otherwise great ride footage. I liked the music as it often set the mood and pace of the ride video but as other have suggested, I would love to see this as an optional soundtrack. So to sum it all up:

Negatives: Inconsistent POVs, Recycled Footage, Some incomplete or distorted (Medusa) ride footage

Pluses: Multiple angles, Insights to Parks and Rides, Best collection of Parks and Coasters on a single DVD

Needed Improvements: Show both sides of a Duel track Coaster, Make the Music soundtrack optional, More behind the scenes look at the highlighted Coasters.

I highly recommend this to all Coasters enthusiasts and look forward to purchasing future releases.