Last month saw the worldwide debut of This is How We Roll, a documentary by Coaster Studios showing how Fred Grubb created and propelled roller coaster manufacturer Rocky Mountain Construction from nothing to being one of the best in the business. It’s a film for coaster enthusiasts made by coaster enthusiasts. We interviewed filmmakers Taylor, Sarah, and Scott on the Coaster101 podcast before the film was released. Now that we’ve seen it for ourselves, we figured we’d share our detailed thoughts. Read on for our This is How We Roll review!
Overall thoughts on the documentary?
Nick: I was blown away by This is How We Roll. Taylor’s been creating great content on YouTube for years so our expectations were high, yet him and his team were still able to exceed them. I really liked how the story of Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) was told by the people of RMC without the need for any voiceover or narration.
Andrew: An absolute home run by Taylor, Sarah and Scott (and everyone else involved!) When we talked on the podcast, they were very excited to premiere the documentary after months of work, and their excitement was completely justified. It’s an incredible film for coaster nerds, but even for non-enthusiasts, it’s a very compelling documentary that tells a fantastic story. When you can win over the non-enthusiasts, that’s how you know it’s good.
What was your favorite part?
Andrew: There were so many, but it was a very cool bit of storytelling when Fred’s family got to ride his first coaster together (New Texas Giant), and the documentary concluded with them all riding his newest coaster, Stunt Pilot. There’s also a really cool video editing moment midway through the documentary where ski spray transitions into Fred hosing down a motorcycle, and that was such a cool transition to me. Also, if you’re watching this after reading our review, don’t stop watching when the credits start to roll. The end credit sequence is fantastic, and not just because you get to see “Coaster101” in the credits!
Nick: The film made we want to go out and ride a coaster! Actually, the first thing I did after watching was fire up RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic to design some RMC inspired coasters.
What surprised you the most about RMC’s story or the documentary in general?
Nick: The individual moment in the film that surprised me the most was when famed coaster designer Alan Schilke said the only ride that has really surprised him where he thought his design was almost too intense was riding in the backseat of a single rail raptor coaster.
Andrew: How Alan Schilke and Fred Grubb came to work together, where it was Six Flags basically saying “how about you guys just put in a joint bid?” and then everything taking off from there.
What impressed you the most about the documentary?
Nick: What impressed me the most about the documentary was the tactful way the Dollywood’s Lightning Rod downtime issues were addressed. The easy way out would have been to avoid the uncomfortable topic all together. Instead, they thoughtfully explained how RMC tried something that had never been done before and they found out the hard way why no one had ever tried launching a wood coaster before: you have to keep extremely tight tolerances to pull off a magnetic launch which isn’t easy with a softer material like wood.
Andrew: The storytelling was impressive, but the visuals were truly stunning. We know Scott’s the best in the business when it comes to on-ride videos, but the full cinematography, from construction shots, to POV footage, to drone shots, to shots in the RMC shop, to even the non-coaster footage like snowmobiling, the sand dunes, and dirt bike riding were all amazing.
Was there anything not shown in the documentary that you wish had been included?
Nick: I’d give the film an A, but two things that could’ve been added that would’ve made it an A+ for me: hearing Six Flags Over Texas side of the story and WHY they decided to take a huge risk and put their faith in RMC. And two, most of us coaster nerds know the answer but if this film were on Netflix and someone who doesn’t know anything about coasters was watching, I would’ve liked to see a more detailed explanation of what makes RMC’s iron horse track better than typical tubular steel rails, from both rider experience and engineering design standpoints.
Andrew: I’d have loved to see some interviews with Cedar Fair and SeaWorld Parks, specifically as it related to Steel Vengeance and Iron Gwazi. I know Six Flags as a chain has been the majority recipient of Rocky Mountain Construction’s creations over the years (and Herschend to a lesser extent), but I would have loved to see Cedar Point and Busch Gardens Tampa leadership talking about their RMCs as well, more than just a quick soundbite from Rob Decker.
What theme park story would you like to see Coaster Studios cover next?
Andrew: I might be the only one on-board with this, but I’d love a documentary style film on the before, during, and after of Hard Rock Park and Freestyle Music Park. There’s been a lot that’s been written about it, but I’d love to watch interviews with as many people as they could get involved.
Nick: It’d be cool if a park or manufacturer started a new documentary from the very beginning and let them film the entire process of creating a theme park attraction, from blue sky concepts to the final ride. It’d be a few years in the making but would be amazing to see the entire process documented.
Watch the film here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thisishowwerollmovie
Have you screened This is How We Roll? What did you think of it? Give us your This is How We Roll review in the comments below!
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