TMNT came to Phoenix, but didn't quite live up to the hype.

Well, the TMNT bus came to Phoenix on Saturday, but I was a little dismayed by the effect. The bus was a neat spectacle, and there were definitely some cool items on display inside, but there was something lacking to the whole thing.

TMNT has become primarily a kids franchise over the years. And most of the material is geared toward kids, but it started as an independant comic book that wasn't really written for a kids audience. The comic was violent, the Turtles were borne in a blood drenched origin with motives of revenge and passion. And yet, somehow, with their lethal weapons and ninja skill, they've become a property geared toward younger audiences. I find that more than a little ironic.

From what I saw on Saturday, the Turtles still resonate with children. There were a lot of families there, and the tykes lined up to play the demo of the new video game and get their picture taken with Michaelangelo. They seemed excited by the whole thing. I knew going in that it was going to be mostly a kids attraction. Yet, being a film afficionado, I was excited by the idea of seeing the costumes and props used in the movie. It was advertised that these things would be on display, but I didn't see any. I saw pictures OF props and costumes. Honestly, the whole thing seemed like an individual fan's collection rather than an official TMNT celebration.

Some of the items inside the bus consisted of original artwork, first prints of the old black-and-white comics and prototypes of the action figures. All were interesting, but with the constant stream of visitors moving thru the van, I felt compelled to move on and didn't really have the time to stop and study a lot of these items without being rude and holding up the line. The event was only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m and everyone deserved to get their chance to see everything.

A local martial arts school was on hand, and some accomplished young martial artists displayed their skills with pride. There was free pizza provided by CiCi's, which was consumed as fast as it was offered. And Michaelangelo eventually made an appearance (though his head was conspicuously stationary), and kids and adults alike lined up to get their picture taken with him. It was fun, it was a good time, I just wish there'd been more to it. I'm glad TMNT still has a strong audience, and Peter Laird has hinted the next movie project will have a darker tone to it. But the event on Saturday, despite the cool stuff that was there, could have been more extravagant.

(Photos taken by Charles Ruble and Christina Candelaria)