Could Skull Island Reign of Kong been done better?

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Universal, but Islands of Adventure is still one of my favorite theme parks. The last time I visited was around Christmas 2019, so it’s definitely been a minute.

One of my biggest disappointments, though, was Skull Island: Reign of Kong. Unfortunately, I never got to experience the original Kongfrontation, so I went into it hoping this would be a spiritual successor. In some ways it is, but I felt like it relied a little too heavily on screens. The obvious highlight for me was the massive Kong animatronic at the end, which was incredible, but a lot of the ride felt more like a moving theater than the kind of immersive adventure I was expecting.

My question for longtime Universal fans is this: was there realistically a way for Universal to incorporate more practical sets, physical effects, and animatronics into the ride, or was a screen-heavy experience always going to be the most practical way to pull off something on Kong’s scale?

Maybe I need to give it another chance 😂. What do you all think? Did the ride live up to the hype, or do you wish it had leaned more into practical effects?