I watched Mutant Mayhem over the weekend (which was great). I haven’t watched the 1990 movie in years, but I was suddenly reminded how powerful this scene is for what is ostensibly a silly action movie for kids: the elongated shadow, the percussive score with ominous electric guitar accents, the camera tracking down from its starting position to sweep in behind him, the light gleaming from the blades on his helmet as he slowly turns to scan the room, and the ritualistic unrolling of the cape from his shoulders. All in a single, imposing 75-second take.
Great stuff.
The only thing I really didn’t like about shredder in this movie was how comically huge his helmet was compared to his body. Like Lord Helmut from Spaceballs.