Shredder's underrated introduction from 1990's live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Shredder's underrated introduction from 1990's live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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.
This entire movie is incredibly underrated, and what I've heard about the original cut/script being even darker really makes me wish more detailed info about it existed.
I read today on wikipedia that the co-creators of the comics have both praised the film, with Kevin Eastman saying it will always be the best Turtles film adaptation. I don't know anything about it's development, but it strikes me that the production team must have been making a deliberate effort to incorporate some of the source comic's DNA beneath the more family-friendly, commercial surface.
This is a core memory movie for me. I watched it so much i nearly demagnetized the tape.
Yes. Tape.
And i know all the words to the Pizza Hut commercial that came before the movie:
Off in the distance / the game's dragging on. / There's strikes on the batter / some runners are on. / When suddenly everyone's looking at me. / My mind has been wondering "What could it be?" / They point to the sky and I look up above / and a baseball falls intoooo my glooooove! / I / play / right-field, it's important to know / you gotta know how to pitch, / you gotta know how to throw. / That's why I play in right field / way out where the dandelions groooooow.
Ahhh the memories
Same here, this movie and Surf Ninjas.
I had the exact same VHS tape, which is the only reason that I know that it's "you gotta know how to catch" instead of "pitch", and I think it's also "it's important ya know".
Permanently Deleted
[Splinter clears his throat]
I have always liked... Cowabunga
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.
I think they wanted it to be intimidating.
I mean, yeah, hes supposed to be the shredder. And the design is cool as fuck. But its just too big for the guys petite frame.
Like it works in the close ups, but pulled back a bit and it looks goofy. Especially at this timestamp
This was borderline nightmare fuel for me as a kid. I hated these scenes--they were so scary.
I sobbed at 6 years old to the scene where Splinter is talking to the turtles through the fire. To the point my parents had to stop the movie and frantically explain that it's not real, it's just a story, the story will get happier, etc.
I knew the actor for his lead hechman. He ran a crazy sword dojo nextdoor to where I did karate. Nice guy.
I remember absolutely hating this movie as a kid. But now as a parent, I know that my kids will rarely watch a live action movie, and I wonder if my dumb kid brain was just like this is wrong. Not a cartoon. Movie sucks. Maybe I'll go back and rewatch it at some point.
That's fair. For some reason I really hated live action shows and really just wanted to watch nothing but cartoons .
This movie is really good though, still holds up watching it now as an adult.