Agreed.
When they took the Transformers extended queue they attempted to theme it up a little. Of course going into a pristine red-and-white switchback tent doesn't really match the NEST theme. So they dirtied it up, added some props along the edges and installed the HD monitors. I distinctly recall Universal getting a lot of praise on the internet for it, even I was impressed.
And then suddenly there was payback for that effort. Due to the queue being outside, many of the props started to wither and with close proximity of the guests quickly they began to take damage. It didn't help that many of them weren't manufactured props, but simply military-looking junk that Universal just bought. So when the request would be sent in for repairs, nobody knew what to do about it. Add in the fact that the themeing actually worked too well. When people step into that queue, they aren't happy to be spending the next hour in a filthy-looking army supply yard. Their thought doesn't go to theme, it goes too, "Well poop, look at this wait."
I'm not saying Universal should be intentionally not themeing the large switchback area, I'm just saying that it's just kind of pointless. No matter what people are not going to be happy they're there. The best solution is the TV monitors and employing entertainment for those things. Once they enter the main queue, it'll start ramping up the experience as they get closer. It's just smarter.