Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Basically one long battle scene with toys and action figures
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Slugterra: Into the Shadows
What's the Story?
In SLUGTERRA: INTO THE SHADOWS, the Shane Gang have returned to the 99 Caverns only to find their world adrift in chaos after the Shadow Clan, who was put in charge in their absence, cared more for slugs than for the other citizens of the underground. Adding to this chaos is the arrival of Tad, a seemingly decent teen who has come down from the Surface with his slug Piper to lend a hand to restore order. Eli welcomes Tad to the team, and begins to train him in the ways of being an excellent "slugslinger." But instead, Tad betrays their trust and tries to hypnotize all the slugs into following him into the castle that once belonged to his father, Dr. Blakk. Now with Piper as a "megamorph" slug and a motley assemblage of bad guys eager to do his bidding, the only thing stopping Tad is The Shane Gang, who might be contending with more than they can handle.
Is It Any Good?
This series feels like one long extended battle scene involving blasters that fire slugs that morph into various forms of destruction. For those who aren't fans of this franchise, the sound of the blaster gun, which eventually starts going off seemingly every five seconds, gets to be incredibly grating. Also, for those who aren't already fans of this franchise, Slugterra: Into the Shadows is not the easiest to follow, aside from the main narrative of the betrayal of one of the lead characters. The rest meanders into stories of too many slugs taking over Slugterra, slugs forced into captivity and forced to perform in a show called "Slugapalooza," and a highway robbery of some kind.
The end result isn't very interesting. The characters are bland versions of cartoon characters seen so many times before in other cartoons. The action itself is confusing -- the Shadow Clan look evil and demonic, for instance, but they're on the same side as the Shane Gang? And these extended battle scenes provide a showcase for the blasters and action figures for sale wherever toys are sold.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about cartoons like Slugterra: Into the Shadows that feature characters and their weapons available for sale as toys. Do you have a problem with this kind of marketing? Why or why not?
Does the violence in this movie seem appropriate to the story, or does it feel like it's forced in to add more action?
How is this story similar to and different from other action-based cartoons in which "good guys" do battle with "bad guys?"
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 6, 2016
- Cast : Sam Vincent , Shannon Chan-Kent , Andrew Francis
- Director : Michael Dowding
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : DHX Media
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Superheroes , Adventures
- Run time : 85 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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