Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry shows why hype can be problematic for a theme park attraction.
When Epic Universe first began hosting previews in the spring of 2025, this new Wizarding World ride wasn’t even ready. The first glimpses of it from media previews in April kicked the hype machine into overdrive, with some calling it the best dark ride Universal has ever built — and perhaps the best anyone has ever built.
Entrance sign in the Metrofloo (Theme Park Tribune)
My own expectations were elevated by those reviews, along with the disappointment of not getting on the ride during my first Epic Universe visit when it was only accessible with a virtual queue system.
Returning to Epic Universe after its grand opening, I finally bit the bullet and waited for two hours to finally ride, allowing more time to build up my expectations.
When I finally got off, I had two realizations: Battle at the Ministry is a great ride. It’s just not the greatest.
The queue
Stepping through the Floo from 1920s Paris all the way to the more modern British Ministry of Magic through (hopefully) well-timed puffs of smoke, you’ll be welcomed by what may be the most impressive queue space in theme park history.
The huge space of the Ministry of Magic (Theme Park Tribune)
If you recall scenes from the Ministry of Magic in the “Harry Potter” film series, you’ll swear that this hasn’t been scaled down in the slightest. The grandeur and the scale here is worth experiencing even if you’re skipping the ride itself (which Universal allows you to do!) or if you like admiring excellent tile work.
What exactly was the tile budget on Battle at the Ministry, I wonder (Universal)
Given the long lines the attraction continues to draw, you’ll get to spend quite a while picking up details in the large space. You’ll also probably get to see many cycles of the silent video showing you why you’re in the Ministry: to witness the trial of Dolores Umbridge, the villainous bureaucrat and former Hogwarts high inquisitor who was then part of Lord Voldemort’s puppet regime at the Ministry.
After leaving the main hall, you’ll wind through many other rooms, which include wanted posters for many of Voldemort’s former followers. Sadly, my visits bypassed Umbridge’s office, which acts as a preshow of sorts and features an animatronic of Umbridge’s house-elf Higgedly.
Now, for all the joys and majesty of Battle at the Ministry’s queue, it’s still just a queue. It’s not trying to match Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in terms of making those parts where you’re waiting in line actually feel like a ride itself. This isn’t much of a knock on Battle at the Ministry, really, but it’s the first reason why I say that Rise of the Resistance remains the king of dark rides.
The ride
Battle at the Ministry is sort of like if Disney’s Tower of Terror and Universal’s Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man rides had a baby. You’re placed in large elevator-shaped vehicle that moves on a motion base much like Spider-Man, though more advanced.
Ride vehicles for Battle at the Ministry (Universal)
The initial scenes do an incredible job of making you feel like you’re moving in almost every direction, just like the Ministry elevators from the films. Of course, it’s a theme park ride, so (gasp!) something goes wrong Umbridge escapes, and you’re whisked away seeing scenes of battles between Death Eaters and Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.
YouTube videos are never the right way to judge an attraction, but in case you want a preview, have a look:
There are several moments that will absolutely blow you away on this attraction. The Death Eater animatronics are among the most fluid I’ve ever seen at Universal, for one, greatly enhancing the balance of elements between the physical sets and screen-based backdrops showing the likes of Harry Potter for much of the ride.
Then the ride vehicle gets another to shine as you feel tossed both up and down in the air by a rampaging magical beast, called the Erumpent, in a sequence which ends with another impressive (and massive) animatronic.
The final two sequences, however, left me a bit less impressed. First, you’ll see the first of the ride’s projected face animatronics, this one of Umbridge herself. The scene is supposed to transition from you focusing on that physical Umbridge to the character on the screen, but the angle makes it possible for some in the vehicles to clearly see the dormant animatronic — an awkward distraction from the whole sequence.
That leads into the final scene in the courtroom with Umbridge recaptured. Here, the projected face animatronics themselves are the focus and….well, they’re just a bit off-putting. I’d compare it to when you’ve put a real face onto a video game character but caught some awkward shadows around the edges.
Maybe the awkward faces had something to do with the images they used in place of now-aged “Potter” actors? In any case, I would’ve rather they attempted to do something without projections at all if this is how the final product ended up.
The other animatronics, along with the movement and range of the ride vehicle, are what wowed me about the attraction. Most of the screen-based scenes were still impressive, even just for the amazing size of the screens themselves, but there was too much of the ride that was only screens — a bad habit it seemed Universal had kicked in recent years.
Battle at the Ministry does not match Epic Universe’s best ride, Monsters Unchained, in achieving an immersive blending of physical and screen-based elements, which was a bit of a letdown. Still, it makes me want to see the next iteration of this same system when those sides will be melded together better.
One last nitpicky gripe: After you leave the ride, you exit through the same huge Ministry hall that you entered, showing the screens saying you’re here for Umbridge’s trial. Except, now, for you, Umbridge’s trial has already happened? It doesn’t make sense from a story perspective.
More of the Ministry’s interior (Theme Park Tribune)
I’m not sure how this hiccup could have been avoided, but there’s a reason why story-based rides like this send you out through the gift shop rather than back through the entrance.
The verdict
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry has some truly amazing elements — a massive, brilliantly-detailed queue, advanced ride vehicle technology, and some incredible animatronics.
Yet with the ride regularly attracting hours-long waits and the massive hype built by other reviewers, you’re bound to go into this experience with sky-high expectations. The ride may not live up to all of them, thanks to a heavy reliance on screens and using some face projection technology producing some less-than-stellar results, which distracted from the rest of the ride.
These are small shortcomings to be sure, but they matter when you’ve heard all the hot takes that a ride may be the greatest ever. In my book, Rise of the Resistance keeps that title and Monsters Unchained is the better overall ride in Epic Universe.
That said, Battle at the Ministry is still well worth the long wait in line.
Grade: A-
Editor’s Note: This review is based on my own opinion and perspective. I paid for my own ticket to Epic Universe and was provided no special access or benefits in order to conduct this review.
