Matt N

I've not done too many rides in my life, but here's my top 10 in general speaking, and I'll explain why.
 
 
 
10) Tomb Blaster
 
If this was its pre 2020 vetsion, it wouldn't even be a top 35, but since then, I think it's a wonderful experience with a good narrative and some great lighting and scenes.
 
 
 
9) Vampire
 
Yeah, it's a bit rough, but it's interaction with the terrain and the unique swinging trains. The queue and station do a phenomenal job building up the tension to the eventual ride experience. Easily the best themed in the UK.
 
 
 
8) Hex, The Legend Of The Towers
 
Whilst I may give the actual Madhouse experience to the Huanting, Hex really makes up with it's Incredibly storytelling, lighting, sets, and the audio! It's one of the most immersive and engaging Indoor rides out there, thanks to the story being mostly true. The smell pods are fantastic as well!
 
 
 
7) Spaceship Earth 
 
If I could describe Spaceship Earth with one word, it'd be magical, it has a great concept of showing how the Human race has evolved over time and what our intellect has done to our races benefic. The narrative is really charming as well, and the ride carries some simple, but great effects. Let's not forget how long the ride is, I think it's around a good 14 minutes long. For a Dark Ride, that's Incredible. Really wish they kept more of Epcits original attractions, would've loved to have rode them.
 
 
 
6) Pirates of the Caribbean (Florida)
 
I've haven't had the chance to go do Disneyland in California Yet, but for now I'm still really grestful to have ridden the one in florida, even though its considered the inferior version. The Queue is really charming and feels quite real. The main ride section has some really great drops, lighting and set pieces for a water ride, especially the Scene where the Pirate ship is attacking the costal forts. Its a must do for me I'd I ever get to go to Magic Kingodn ever again!
 
 
 
5) Revenge of The Mummy
 
I rememberbeing absolutely terrifiedwhen queuingfor this ride for the first time. This ride is a perfect mix of pure adrenaline fun, and nightmare fuel. The Mummy animatronic at the beginning absolutely scared me when  I first saw it from it's realistic movements, thinking it was real. The launch is really good, the layout is really thrilling for an indoor Coaster, and the pyrotechnics in the fake station are a highlight as you can feel the heat coming from those flames! One of the best indoor rides period.
 
 
 
4) Oblivion 
 
While it may be a short ride, it definitely makes up for that Drop. Honestly, still one kf the best drops on any roller coaster out there. The branding and themong make up for a great queueline and really makes you nervous whenever you're queuing up for it. Let's not forget the Fantastic footage of the Lord of Darkness on the queueand station, he's definitely the cherry on the cake and can easily make first timers reconsider when queueing. It's also got one of the best Soundtracks for any coaster and really fits with the late 90s, gritty, Sci fi feel.
 
 
 
3) Duel/The Haunted House
 
If I had to pick one ride that I'd say was underrated or unappreciated, I'd pick this one. Duel or The Haunted House is easily one of the most charming, and immersive dark rides in the UK. Yeah, it's not looked great for a while, but the props and scenes are still some of the best made ever. The ride system is also a one of a kind and has a phenomenal throughput. I can only imagine how amazing the ride was when it was the Haunted House, especially in its first few years. I don't really touch the blasters, I mostly just enjoy the screen and take it in which is easily the battery experience. Statistics wise, it's not all that impressive as a ride, but it has such character snd some really unique ideas that I think it makes up for easily. It also has a great indoor queue, well at least before the 2021 change. It had abroom that was slanted to it was meant to look normal, giving off a very odd and unique sensation when in there. Let's hope this refurb keeps it's charm and uniqueness.
 
 
 
2) Apocalypse (Rest in Peace)
 
Boy, what a great Drop tower this was. This was one of the few rides left that still gave me that stomach Drop feel. The Drop was really forceful, the theeming was really good and made you feel anxious when queueing inside the main drop tower chamber, watching the cars go up and fall back down as high speeds. This was one of the few rides I was still scared to go one even though I loved it. You will be missed Apocalypse.
 
 
1) Nemesis
 
Oh, where to begin. One of the most intimidating, Intense, and Well themed coasters in the world. The soundtrack is beyond words and really makes the area around the ride feel that much better. The way the Coaster interacts with the terrain is incredible, and some of the elements on the ride are also some of the best on any Inverted Roller Coaster. The monster in the pit is one of the best themed stations on the outside and really does stick with you after many years. One of the best and unique rides ever made, when it reopens, go ride it! You won't regret it!

Rode this yesterday.
 
It's a good Ghost Train ride. Not the best one I've done, but it does have a nice story which you can sort of follow (which is less common in my experiences with these rides).
 
Without posting anything too spoilery, but also giving mild spoilers, I particularly liked the mirror scene and the final scare (the physical prop is well hidden).
 
At the same time, there's 3 scenes which are effectively just pitch black, and they don't quite work. One almost does, because it's a "hide and seek" style scene, but it needs something a bit more (lighting effects with eyes or something). The other two pitch black scenes need something.
 
Now here's something which seems to be controversial. I preferred Duel. I significantly preferred Duel. Part of this is because I'm a sucker for interactive / shooting dark rides, and Duel was just a ton of fun for me as a result. The other part of it is that Duel never felt like an attraction which took itself too seriously. It had the spooky / scary theme, but seemed to have a bit humour / light-heartedness sprinkled in a a result. Alton Manor takes itself a bit more seriously, and goes the full nine yards on the creepiness scale, but doesn't have any sort of humour or 'fun-ness' to it.
 
Now this is very much just a me thing. Is Alton Manor 'better'? Yeah, probably. It's got some cool effects and a nice story and a good creepy vibe. It's definitely on the higher end of ghost train rides I've done. But given a choice, I would rather ride Duel any day.

Just seen on the Twitters that TCAAM has had it's queue time board fitted, praise the lord.

In fairness, I doubt that Alton Towers have “decided” that The Curse at Alton Manor and Hex can’t operate together.
 
I imagine it’s more likely to be very poor luck, and a wild coincidence, that the two haven’t operated alongside each other very reliably.

Yeah I speculated something like this a while back - mostly as a joke - but after seeing The Curse, I think it is looking more and more like a plausable option.

Gave this a couple of goes yesterday, felt quite underwhelmed when I came off, it does have some nice sets and effects on the ride which are an improvement to previous and the trommel and clock was my favourite part was great to see that all working. But for me overall I found it a bit dull, I gave it another go in the afternoon to see what another run through was like unfortunately it was Dark from the usual spot after the Trommel to just after the old screaming heads which was a shame so missed the spiders and mirror effects 2nd time round. Was walk on both times so didnt see too much of the queue or pre show, The hosts were in their new character in the morning but in the afternoon were just normal and was asking everyone their thoughts on it, John Burton was also outside in the afternoon talking to various people

Originally was going to be left as is, but plans changed to get planning permission. Most will be re removed and the coaster will be mostly over water. Should be breathtaking 

Lake looks tiny, I assume that they’ve started to infill parts of the lake or they will open it back up when construction is finished.

Some new images from the Exodus22 Twitter account. I’ll start by stating that obviously the park does not want people doing this and is frowned upon. It’s legal at the end of the day and I think it provides something of discussion.
 
Amazing to see how much space there is, the more space they clear kinda makes me wish it was a whole area with multiple rides because of how much space will be unaccessible with just exodus.
 
Anyway, the space they are working on now looks to be where the foundations and supports for the lift hill will go. I wonder when we will see that lake cut off.
 
Whilst on project exodus, that Burger King in old town is definitely not staying. When Jack asked russ about a refurb in that Burger King when amity had one. Russ said that we would have to wait and see what the future holds. I sincerely hope, that there are plans which don’t require planning permission to refresh and retheme that whole area away from a western theme. It doesn’t make sense.

Official teaser with POV and off ride shots of Exodus at 3:09
 
 

I’m sure we will see these areas getting investment at some point. The island behind swarm is actually pretty large and could house a really decent coaster. Pretty sure from the old MTDP it can go to 60m as well so potentially another large one in a few years. 
 
There’s also two more areas that are available to build on not currently used that are sizeable. So land isn’t really a big problem for Thorpe in this regard. 
 
However I don’t think throwing coasters at the park is what the park is crying out for IMHO

Well, I rode this for the first time today! I'll admit that I initially struggled to coherently review the ride, and my actual first ride itself was a bit of a blur, but having watched a few POVs of the ride, I can better process what happened, and I now feel more at liberty to talk about it in a bit more depth.
 
Be warned; this review does contain spoilers of The Curse at Alton Manor. If you do not want spoilers, read no further.
 
Let me start with the area. Gloomy Wood looks brilliant; given that they haven't changed much, the area feels weirdly fleshed out and lively compared to how it did before, and I'm a big fan of the darker colour scheme that they've adopted with the facade and area buildings. It looks great!
 
As the ride was walk on when I did it, I didn't get to see an awful lot of the outdoor queue, but what I did see looked very nice. I particularly liked the copious amounts of smoke; this made it feel very ambient!
 
Moving onto the indoor queue; this hasn't changed a huge amount, but has been spruced up somewhat to fit the new theme. The vestibule looks very similar to how it did before, but they have added some cloth over the theming items to make it look like it's been "repossessed". The more notably different room is the Drawing Room, which, although quite similar to how it was before on the face of it, does feel notably enhanced to me. There's now a pre-show telling the story of Emily Alton, and this culminates with some brilliant projection mapping and a really surprising reveal of UV paint all over the walls, showing what seem to be Emily Alton's deranged ramblings. I thought this was a very clever effect, and set up the ride very nicely!
 
Let's move onto the ride itself. Now as I said, I found this to be a bit of a blur when I physically rode, and as stupid as it sounds, I had to watch a few POVs to actually process it. It is a lot to take in, and as someone who's a bit of a weakling when it comes to horror stuff, I did find the first ride a bit overwhelming. With that being said, I do feel that the ride is a definite improvement on its predecessor Duel, and in terms of production value, I think it's a nicely done ride overall, although there are odd things I'd improve. I won't do a scene-by-scene breakdown, but some key points of interest include:
I thought that projection mapping was used to great effect within the ride, and I felt that it definitely did add something. The Trommel Tunnel is working again, and I have to say that this effect did surprise me! I'd never actually experienced this effect in a working state (I.e. spinning) before, and I never really understood what people thought was so great about the Trommel Tunnel. I have to say that its use within The Curse at Alton Manor definitely proved me wrong on that front; it is a surprisingly convincing effect, particularly when paired with the spinning clock at the end, and it was probably one of my favourite individual effects in the ride! The mirror scene that replaced what was previously the Skeleton Corridor now houses a very clever effect, wherein you seem to disappear from the car and Emily Alton "replaces" you. I thought that this was very clever! The ending is an excellently executed jumpscare; I have to admit that I audibly shrieked when the massive Emily head suddenly appeared! Paradoxically, the ride feels very similar to how it was before, yet also very different, if that makes any sense? There was perhaps more reuse of old scenes from the previous iterations than I was expecting, but I think that this mostly works well because the park have made these scenes befitting of the new storyline; they feel very different to how they were before. There were some surprisingly impressive physical sets built new for the ride; I was particularly impressed with what they've done with the Attic scene. I've heard people mention the dark area between the Trommel and the Attic scene. I think the audio does still make this area feel quite unnerving, but I do get what people mean when they say that it feels a bit unfinished. I think it could do with an extra something to properly finish it off; maybe some UV paint like in the pre-show and exit corridor, or some light flashes? The other scene that I don't think entirely works is the Screaming Heads scene. I'm not entirely sure how it fits into the ride, and it feels a bit out of place to me. As I said above, I do think that it's quite an overwhelming attraction overall. When combining the noise, the darkness and the jumpscares, it is quite a lot to take in. Although with that being said, that could just be because I'm not the biggest horror lover and it was my first ride on a ghost train-style attraction; I felt similarly about Duel the first time I rode that. Overall, I thought that it was a nicely executed ride; Merlin Magic Making have done a very good job given the budget and timeframe, and they have definitely improved upon Duel, in my view! If I'm being completely honest, however, I didn't exactly come off feeling entirely blown away. I'd stop short of saying that I was disappointed, because as I said, it is a very nicely done ride with high production value overall, in my view, and my initial gut reaction upon exiting could well be due to my initial struggling to process it all. I did only have 1 ride, after all.
 
I must admit, though, that I'm not sure the ride entirely lived up to some of the hyperbole being thrown around for me. It's a very nicely executed ride overall, but it's not my favourite dark ride in the UK and I would still say that I prefer Hex within the park. That could be down to it not being entirely my sort of thing, it could be down to the fact that I felt a little overwhelmed by it on my first ride, or it could be down to the fact that I only got 1 ride on it, but for whatever reason, I'm perhaps not feeling as enamoured with it and enthralled by it as many others seem to be. It's nice and it's well executed, but I'm not quite gelling with it like everyone else seems to be for some reason; I don't deny that they've done very well, but I'm not quite on board the hype train like everyone else seems to be. I apologise if I come across a bit cynical or moany here, but I'm just being 100% honest about how I personally felt about the attraction on my ride.
 
Nonetheless, it is a nice ride overall, I'm sure that it will be tweaked and improved with time, and Alton Towers should be really proud of what they've pulled off!

Hi guys. As of late, I’ve heard it mentioned that Thorpe Park is aiming to pursue more of an “amusement park” style vibe, with the themed areas being de-emphasised. The park allegedly even said this themselves in a recent post in their Facebook group. But in the past, the park has aimed to pursue theming more, with the themed areas being more strongly marketed and more themed rides being installed. With this in mind, I’d be keen to know; what is your stance on Thorpe Park’s alleged new direction? What path do you think the park should take with regard to themed areas?
 
Personally, I’m not too upset that Thorpe Park is moving away from themed areas. While there are admittedly some very heavily themed individual rides at Thorpe Park, I would never have said that the park had any real cohesive themed areas; compared to somewhere like Europa, a typical Orlando park or to a lesser extent somewhere like Alton Towers, I would have said that Thorpe Park lacked easily definable themed areas. If I didn’t know any better, I would have struggled to separate areas like Lost City, Amity Cove and Calypso Quay, and indeed the park’s own grasp on these themed areas has seemed very tenuous at times (for instance, X was always listed as being within Lost City even though its entrance was within Amity Cove, and Samurai is in Old Town even though its theme and aesthetic arguably lend themselves more to Lost City). Often, the things within Thorpe’s themed areas have had very little thematic relation to each other, and at times, I felt that the themed areas were little more than a token gesture.
 
I do also agree somewhat with Thorpe Park’s argument that the park is too compact to make proper themed areas work properly. Because everything is within reasonably close range of a number of other themes, I think that it’s hard to make a whole themed area work compellingly. And in a park like Thorpe, I’d also argue that focusing too much on themed areas could constrain creativity when it comes to devising new rides. The park has never seemed overly focused on immersing guests into themed areas, instead focusing on immersing guests into themed individual rides, and I’d far prefer that they do that well than try and fit things into arbitrary themed areas. And besides, not every park needs to be strongly themed; personally, I would have said that Thorpe Park’s strengths lie more in thrills than theming, and if that’s the case, I don’t really see an issue with them pursuing theming less.
 
But what are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with the park’s move away from themed areas? Or do you feel that the park needs to keep the themed areas in mind?

I do think that the amity beach needs to be replaced sooner rather than later, I’ve haven’t seen it being used in years (but then I haven’t rly been spending much time in the middle of the day in that area).
 
I think they could defo get a couple of new flats in that area or even a small scale coaster that could interact with the area well as an entrance feature, I’m probably way to ambitious here but a smaller version of  gatekeeper (ofc not a wing coaster) with some kinda stall element that you walk under right after you come out of the dome would be awesome. ik this is way to ambitious and would never happen at thorpe but it’s just an idea of what that could do with all the space the beach takes up

One more point I forgot to mention -
 
I think scrapping the themed lands is an easy way to throw the doors open for more cheapo, short-sighted stuff, like the ridiculous I’m a celebrity maze, Bouncezilla, and Black Mirror.
it even leaves the door open for “plonk down” style short term rides like AT’s fairground nonsense. (Please no)
 
Theres no denying that the Amity KFC with the incredible boat / flood / shark theming is miles better than the new generic Burger King…
Even the Amity toilets are so much better than elsewhere like the newer swarm ones, with the boat crashed through the roof etc - come on let’s have some effort and do the theming properly.

I like themed areas, however I prefer highly themed experiences on rides over than just areas. I’d argue themed areas add to a themed ride experience, so go hand in hand.
 
I want themed lands but I don’t want it the old themed lands. They were too generic. When I say themed lands, I want places like Saw and its plaza. That would be one land. The Swarm and its plaza is another. These two areas have one/two points of entry and exit. It helps them become isolated and define the areas. Project Exodus and its area can also become a themed land due to this. Amity has a long running history, so its themed land suits itself.
 
Nemesis Inferno and Colossus are arguably harder. No plaza as such as little room to define them. This is where a themed ride station and queue line is important as it creates its own thing by itself.
 
I don’t want an amusement park, the U.K. needs another thrilling theme-park which competes and offers its own unique experience away from the real world. Theming can also be important if you don’t have the space to continuously build rollercoasters. An amusement park has a larger selection of rides and rollercoasters.

Project exodus, should not be generic and a six flags coaster. John Burton is involved and I pray because he is, that there is a theme. It would be a massive mistake if they don’t add on the swarm. You have something a grand as that area and then you come up with forest the ride. People will still like the look of swarm.
 
 
Merlin wouldn’t want to operate a place which doesn’t “try” to  immerse you. Every single attraction from the midways to the parks does this.
 
It’s all down to laziness, cost and lack of direction. Management stay there for a few years try to come up with ideas but then move to one of their sister parks which receives more opportunities and funding. So teams are always changing…

On the face of it I’m really disappointed to see that there now saying they’re not keen on themed areas again.
after all, you could argue that a large part of Wickerman and The Smiler’s success have been their strong themes. Also what they’re doing with Nemesis in Forbidden Valley, Curse in Gloomy Wood and Jumanji at CWOA relies heavily on the story behind the themed area…
“Merlin” seem to think that themes do work, and guests seem to like them.
 
Thorpe can’t make up its mind though, and the attitude towards themed lands seems to swing back and forth as regularly as the one operational Rush arm.
 
Since The Swarm opened Thorpe seems to have had a revolving door of short-term managers, staying for a short while before they leave again.
For over a decade it’s been one knee-jerk short-sighted decision after another, just to get through the year, then the next season many of the priorities seem to change again.
 
Obviously I don’t know any of these people and I respect what they have all done - they’ve each had a spell at running a successful company after all, which is not something I’ve ever or will ever achieve - but the truth is that Thorpe doesn’t seem to have had any sort of long term vision at all for ages - it’s all been very much based on the upcoming few months.
 
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the current management just don’t fancy themed lands, but then all of a sudden they magically come back again in a couple of years - maybe even next year with Exodus opening.
 
Who knows.  I just think they should pick a direction and go with it sooner rather than later, because this ‘middle ground’ is a bit messy.
 
I will say though that if they’re laying the foundations for Exodus to be generic and unthemed, that is a mistake in my eyes and will be a missed opportunity.
I think most people enjoy buying in to the idea of a theme - Alton Towers proves that - and personally I’d be looking to them to replicate their recent success.

It does seem daft that (I assume) millions were spent on the huge bit of infilling by Stealth, and where Saw Alive was, just for it to sit empty or have a queue on for a few years.
 
I imagine it was down to priorities changing and future budgets being pulled after the Swarm was deemed a failed project?

When you look at how much space the beach and associated area take up, there’s great scope for a really nice centrepiece and plaza to be built that would look fantastic as you step out the dome. Then overhaul the dome to match. 
 
I remember a few MTDPs ago there was a plan to widen/ upgrade the entrance bridge. I don’t think it needs widening, but it could do with improvements. 
 
However I strongly think the park will see this as too much real estate to be wasted, and instead place a ride in this area. 
 
Looking at the rest of the park I do wonder when we might see a coaster on the island behind swarm island. Hopefully the long awaited woodie 

Completely agree about the entrance - it’s an absolutely shocking way to start the day, especially when it’s busy.
 
I do really like the bridge though (and the dome to be fair) - and when exiting the dome the view across the park I think is really good!
 
I’m not sure they still need the beach - it’s a very odd thing to have at a park like this now adays, especially right at the front!  Replacing that with something else would be amazing.

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW:
 
 
 
 
So I rode it today, and I won't lie, it's a bit of a marmite situation. Some parts I really liked, some I didn't like.
 
The area outside is simply fantastic!!! The new gravestones in the queue really fit the vive of the original ones being really finny deaths while some are nods to rides in the past.
 
The indoor queue is okay, not a fan of the UV Words all over the wall, seems very generic to me. The actual new dolls house is great looking! Wish it was a bit brighter in there, turn up those chandeliers up a bit.
 
The station is nicely done. Not too underdone but not too extreme.
 
 
Now, onto the actual ride itself. So the poltergeist room is still there and integrated really well into the first scene, though the lights behind them don't seem to flicker as well as previously, but I'm sure the lighting will be perfected at the end of the year.
 
The grand Hall.... oh boy, this is a downgrade to me, the Flying Demons are no more and are replaced by... a projection of Emily standing still. A small ghoul seems to swoop over you, which is a nice effect.
 
The trommel. ITS BACK IN BUSINESS BABY. The trommel is actually tunring now, but the theming in the room is entirely different, from a gothic corridor with a giant skull about to swallow you whole is replaced by some portraits, a crack in the wall, and a very thin fireplace replacing the face. The giants lair is mostly pitch black, but there a new set between the trommel and the giant's lair with Emily. The window where the giant used to be (the only thing you can see in there) is repurposed with a trio of toys that resemble Emily and her parents, then a giant station hand prop is lit above right before you enter the hall of spiders. Most of it has been rethemed to an attic with dolls replacing the zombies, and a set of new spiders, thankfully the giant spider still remains, but with more eyes that glow now. The ghost corridor is completely different, with a car by your side which reveals Emily sitting in it, followed by a doll jumping put on your left.
 
Now, onto the screaming heads. The iconic scream is sadly no more and the heads have been replaced with much larger and sinister ones, though they don't have any sound effects.
 
The Sinister garden is still very familiar with most of the sets mostly untouced aside from additional props of dolls, but the undertaker, the lunatic, the grim reaper, and the column ghost are no more. With the undertaker and the column ghost being replaced by nothing, but the lunatic has been replaced by a doll, same with the grim reaper, with this doll sharing the same illusion to pirates of The Caribbean where the pirate turns into a skeleton. With the doll, it just disappears. The scene before the lab is where the giant dolls house is at.
 
The final still has a lot of the old lab intact, but the zombies is replaced by toys and deformed dolls. Some of the walls are replaced by projections and set pieces such as oversized boxes. The final scare is where a static prop of Emily but giant trying to grab you, this was where the photo is, same where it was in duel. The gargoyle at the end has a clock in it's mouth, and that's the ride. The gift shop is much darker themed and the ride has its own merchandise.
 
All in all, it's okay, but not my type of ghost train. It's a bit too serious and dark in some places personally, and I think the removal of most of the previous props and replaced with projections was a disappointment to me. But on its own, ignoring its past, its a nice dark ride, but maybe not for young kids.
 
All in all first impressions are a 7.5/10

Not the greatest integration ever with vinyl stickers slapped on the side of the cups. It’s the tea cups, not much to complain about, just a shame sticks out like a sore thumb.
 
They’ve also started to repaint the entrance area. To a white colour, further straying away from that boardwalk blue which used to be used a lot a few years ago on signage.
 
Id argue, this closed season Thorpe have been the most contradictory than they’ve ever been in regards to general appearance and branding. They are painting, reprinting signs and refreshing most things. Trying to make their appearance look nice and less rundown which is great and has kinda works.
 
However, things like a purple tea cups, removing the lands and removing theming contradicts all of this. 
 
Nothing is cohesive from the food, to signage, to music, to theming. Individual ride theming, it’s different. But the bread and butter between the rides just isn’t up to scratch 

Photos from inside the renovated Burger King. Unfortunately, it’s removed all of amity’s old theming and turned it into a service station looking place. 
 
Yes the old interior was old, worn. But they’ve retrofitted a standard BK inside an old themed area.
 
The Ben and Jerrys outlet was stage one of loosing the themed buildings for amity. This is the next….

The security area is definitely the focal point where changes need to be made. Maybe demolish the old huts and put in a more permanent building that looks visually appealing but offers efficient checks.
 
The entrance structure also needs substantial work too, although some back of house areas would also need adjustments. 
 
It’s really a shame that the dome has gone from this charming (yet ageing) nautical portal to what is basically a bland hub area. Like some budget holiday resort maybe. 
 
The bridge is actually ok, but maybe just needs a bit of modernisation in parts. 
 
The entrance used to work fine in the 90’s/2000’s but in places no longer feels fit for purpose. 

I sort of agree. I think the actual entrance building, the bridge and the view from outside the dome are great, up there with Towers Street. But the problem is before you get to the Entrance building, Thorpe looks like a prison. There is zero attempt to incorporate security with an inviting experience. 
 
The Dome is so awful now, it's just modern with no personality. I like the pictures on the outside of peoples selfies from their day. But the inside is really poor.