Vaughan, Ontario – Saturday, September 15th & Sunday, September 16th, 2012
There's something about gigacoasters like Leviathan and Millennium Force, once you start to creep north of 80-85 mph, the ride feels uncommonly fast. I can ride front row of Behemoth, and my mind goes, "hey, it's a bit windy and this is fun and big, I guess we're going fairly fast". Powering through the first three elements of Leviathan, my mind goes "&@%#, this is #%$~ing insane!" I'm not sure if this is purely relative (i.e. if I rode coasters with 80+ mph speeds more frequently I'd soon adjust to it just as I have for 70mph rides), or if there is something more innately physio-psychological about this range of speed that crosses some sort of intrinsic barrier in the human brain's ability to adjust and process. Either way, Leviathan feels huge and fast in a way that very few coasters do.
This overbanked turn would be a good midcourse signifier, but everything that comes after it just falls flat. What I realized is that Leviathan basically repeats the same element sequence twice: Overbank-Speed Turn-Camelback. The problem is that the first instance of this sequence is spectacular, and the second repetition is inevitably doomed to failure just by the immediate comparison.
As a result, Leviathan feels like a very incomplete ride, not helped by the massive brake run, which gives you plenty of time to nurse some nagging thoughts that they should have done something - anything! - more at the end before calling it wraps, just for one last taste of the genius insanity of the first 20 seconds.
The first drop, curve, and speed hop pour on the speed and intensity, each cranking up the volume from 9, to 10, then straight up to 12! And just when it seems B&M have completely lost their minds with this one, it emerges into the ether with the graceful, lightheaded precision that only they can master.
Still, Leviathan is a very unbalanced experience, and I feel somewhat vindicated by the fact that, for as amazing as the first half is, ultimately pacing and delivering a complete experiential arc are the more important criteria, and no matter how deep I search I can't find it in my to declare this in my upper echelon of steel coasters.
The related names and similar but not identical experiences help give Canada's Wonderland a stronger sense of identity in a way that the rag-tag collection of 13 coasters that came before these two were ever able to achieve. There are enough parks out there that have a coaster collection that's "balanced". If I'm going to drive to Canada to ride coasters, I want to know that I'm going to a park that specializes in something that no other parks can come close two. Namely, a pair of awesome B&M speed coasters, a pretty cool collection of flats, and some of the worst wooden roller coasters I'll ever have the pleasure of silently cursing out.
Good night, Canada's Wonderland. At least 75% of your rides are still pretty lame, and a solid 80% of your park landscape is absolutely void of any unique character. But what you do have that's good is generally very good, and even where it's just okay you prove that sheer quantity over quality does have some redeeming values in its own way, plus things generally seem to be improving since the transition from Paramount to Cedar Fair, even if they're still a few degrees off from "the right direction". Until we meet again...
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