Loot Crate's Heroes Part Deux

This month Loot Crate revisited its Heroes theme, which has probably been my favorite crate thus far. Heroes 2 was DC comics heavy with a Batman figure and a Wonderwoman poster. It also featured a great exclusive hardcover edition of Regrettable Superheroes. To me, this box was a mixed bag. I loved some of the pieces and was totally ambivalent toward others. The big item this month was an adorable classic Batman statue from Quantum Mechanix. 

The speech bubble on the base has a tiny dry-erase board so you can write your own sound effects. The book Regrettable Superheroes is a compendium of the worst heroes ever to make it to print. A lot of them are ridiculous, some are gross, or stupid, and most of them are just super lame. I had a lot of fun with it and I definitely lol'd over a few of the particularly bad ones.

One of my favorite pieces though was the awesome Wonder Woman pin-up poster. I'm not a big fan of DC heroes in general but I've got a soft spot for Wonder Women and the vintage, Rosie the Riveter feel makes it that much better. This poster will definitely end up on my wall. Two symbols of female empowerment? Yes please.

On the fail side, there was a Batarang multi-tool (read bottle opener), Legend of Zelda sweatband and Spock hand car air freshener. After over a year of crates I have three air fresheners and three sweatbands. I'm kind of an indoor kid, I really don't have call for sweatbands, and Guy Fieri is not one of my style icons. Know what I'm saying?

Overall, I'm going to say a solid B on this crate. The small things felt a bit like filler, but the big things were a big hit. Another note, Loot Crate has now started to offer the "Level Up" service. There are different ways in which you can level up your basic crate be adding a premium item like an accessory (scarf, bracelet, etc), pairs of socks or a wearable (shirt).
For more information visit Loot Crate here

Unite! LootCrate pays homage to the team. (spoilers)

May's Loot Crate was all about teams. This month's crate focused on pop culture's favorite squads from the Avengers to the Power Rangers to the Justice league. Although heavy preferential treatment goes to Marvel on this one, just saying.
The big prize this month is a t-shirt featuring the green/white power ranger. In addition to being super soft and comfy, the design is just plain cool. Out of all the crate shirts I've gotten, this one is probably my favorite. Besides Tommy was always my favorite Power Ranger. He had that long hair and the bad-boy attitude. *Sigh*

With the Avengers: Age of Ultron out this month, May's crate also included a trio of Marvel/Avengers items. First up was a Marvel ice cube tray which makes ice cubes in the shape of Captain America's shield, Iron Man's face, Hulk's fist, and Thing's face. It is also made out of silicone which makes it an ideal mold for soaps, chocolate's or anything else crafty geeks could come up with.
Also included in the Marvel loot was a pair of shoelaces (I got the stealth ones: grey and black) and an Avengers decal in all white. The decal was super cool and nice quality.

Among other crate perks there was an exclusive variant cover of Bravest Warriors #1. Normally this wouldn't be a comic that I would pick up, but the art style is adorable and its definitely worth a read.  There was also a Loot Crate edition Mad Magazine which was meh. I never really read Mad as a kid so there's no nostalgia there, just shitty 7th grade jokes. The Rick and Morty puzzle was fun, because really when was the last time you did a puzzle? Yeah, me too. Last was a set of Team Fortress 2 pins which I totally adore because there's a Balloonicorn pin and a sandvich pin. DC got short shrift this month as the only reference to the Justice League was in one of the unite pin options. The pin either featured Batman shaking hands with Superman or Iron Man shaking hands with Captain America. (I got the Marvel one)

Overall top marks for May's crate mostly because the t-shirt and the Marvel stuff. I'm really a fan of the things that are more practical like the ice cube tray and the shoelaces and my problem with some previous crates was the profusion of stuff that was just for fun (like the Monopoly-esque Firefly universe money) but was destined to be taking up space on my desk.
To find out more information on past crates, subscriptions and to sign up visit Loot Crate.

The land of tomorrow (no spoilers)

On the surface, Disney's Tomorrowland seems like little more than a cash-grab, capitalizing on the theme from another part of the Disney parks as inspiration. The thought worked with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise but failed miserably with other films. Remember Haunted Mansion and The Country Bears? Yeah me neither.  I was interested enough to see which side of the fence Tomorrowland fell on that I was willing to sacrifice a few hours to it. It was more than that. Tomorrowland is an entertaining and hopeful movie with a strong message. The advertisements for the movie are cryptic enough that there weren't many expectations going into it, which is a refreshing change from most films these days where you've seen a good percentage of the movie before stepping into the theatre. 

Let me start by saying that Britt Robertson and Raffey Cassidy are the future. They are the two female leads and own a majority of the screen time. Both are expressive, endearing and capable actresses who I'm confident we will be seeing a lot more of in the coming years. Robertson plays Casey Newton, a teenage girl looking to make a difference in the world. Casey is being raised by her NASA engineer father who encourages her to ask questions and dream big. Cassidy is Athena, the android resident of Tomorrowland, who recruits Casey to save the future of our world when the residents of the futuristic utopia have failed. The two have a good chemistry and it is nice to see some more strong, young female characters. Assisting Casey on her journey is Frank Walker, played by George Clooney, a man who has been expelled from Tomorrowland and has lost the enthusiasm for science and inventing that he once had. It is up to Casey to bring the magic back for him and for all of Tomorrowland by reminding them that the future can be anything you want it to be, while it is villian Hugh Laurie's job to stop them.

There is a definite overarching message to the movie. Things are in a bad way in the world right now and all we're doing is accepting them as immutable realities. The movie's answer is to dream big and strive to make a difference, that whatever it is that you do, you should try your hardest to do it well and see what happens. Also science is cool. The whole film has a Wall-E-esque vibe to it and the message seemed hardly lost on the audience. But that's ok too. The film has a clear vision and its nice to see it follow through.

I would have liked to see more of Tomorrowland itself as it was a brilliantly animated and picturesque blending today's modern sleekness so popular in Apple products with the kitschy space-era 60s futurism that Disneyland's Tomorrowland is so famous for. Its definitely the carrot on the string for Casey but it would've been nice to linger there a little longer at some point. Maybe on the Blu-Ray? 

All in all its a fun, feel-good movie with tons of Disney nostalgia. Even if the message is a delivered a little less than subtly and the pacing is a bit off, it is beautifully animated and well-acted and that in itself is worth spending a rainy Saturday on.

Avengers: Age of Ultron or How AI is a Really Bad Idea and Will Probably Kill Us All *Spoilers*

So I finally got a chance to see Avengers: Age of Ultron today and I really enjoyed it. This is the second marvel film I've seen where I didn't have a concrete set of expectations as to what I was going to see. The first being Guardians of the Galaxy, where I had never read any of the comics, wasn't familiar with the characters and was really just expecting to have a good time. Age of Ultron is similar in that I hadn't had a chance to catch up on the Ultron arc so I just had the basis of the rest of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This film is darker than the other MCU films but still retains the Joss Whedon trademark one-liners that had the audience laughing out loud. There's a lot going on with film. It does a lot of heavy lifting tying the previous installments to the upcoming films and the Infinity Gauntlet and Civil War storylines, introducing new characters Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Vision, and  still managing to be entertaining. The fight scenes are meticulously crafted and had the audience in my showing gasping aloud. Overall fan service abounds. Heavy spoilers from here on, so be warned.

Okay, now the elephant in the room. I don't really have a problem with the representation of Natasha in this film. I will give you that the romance sub-plot between her and Bruce was unnecessary. We already know that she has above-average skills of persuasion, and if there was an Avenger who could calm the Hulk it would probably be Nat anyway. That said, I don't think it detracted from her character in any way. I feel like her conversation with Bruce about her forced sterilization is more a moment in which they both mourn the loss of the ability to choose the path of their own lives than it is her admission of feeling like less of a woman because she is unable to have children. The whole section of the film at the farm is about each team member dealing with the nightmares the Scarlet Witch gave them and the full weight of what it means to be an Avenger. Each of them mourns the loss of normalcy and a sense of control, and I think Natasha's struggle isn't so different.

This movie also cements the wedge between Tony and Cap that preps for the Civil War arc. Steve is out of his element throughout the movie continuing where we left him after Winter Soldier. He continually struggles to adapt who is he as a hero and as a man to the realities of today's world and the enemies it faces. Steve is the past and Tony is the future, but Steve is learning quickly while Tony becomes increasingly paranoid. Tony Stark seems to long have been the fan favorite in these movies but his creation of Ultron makes him more a villain than he's been since the beginning of Iron Man. Ultron is a great villain and a great foil for both Tony and Vision. Spader was brilliantly cast in the part and is as menacing as he is snarky. He embodies a lot of modern fears about technology and anxieties about artificial intelligence. I love that he takes one brief look at the internet and decides that mankind has to go. Ultron's mining of Vibranium to make the giant floating island seems a little silly but I'm assuming that the Vibranium and the weird weapons dealer guy (played by a non-CG'd Andy Serkis) will feature more heavily in the upcoming Black Panther film. Like I said, there's a lot going on.

I liked the new additions to the MCU cast. In early stills Quicksilver came off super cheesy, but in the finished product he is likable and remarkably powerful. I feel like he was gone too soon. I can't wait to see where Scarlet Witch goes from here. She comes into her own late in the movie and as a new team comes together, she looks to be the most powerful apart from Vision. Oh man, Vision. So cool. Paul Bettany looks amazing as the synthetic human AI and has some of the best lines in the movie. I'm so excited to see what happens to him in upcoming installments although I can't help but wonder how the Infinity Stone makes its way out of his forehead into the Infinity Gauntlet. Overall, the new Avengers team assembling at the end of the movie looks promising as hell. The Iron Patriot, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Captain America and Black Widow. It's a big step forward in terms of representation both of women and people of color in the MCU.

Overall, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great movie. It's entertaining, well-written and well paced. Is it perfect? No. But it lives up to the first film and creates a valuable bridge between the last phase of films and the next.

Heir to the...Jedi?

I'm not really sure how I feel about Heir to the Jedi which is why its been almost a week since I finished the book and I'm just now getting the review up. There are some really strong and creative aspects of the book but overall the story is forgettable. Heir to the Jedi (HTTJ) is the newest adult novel in the new Star Wars canon (and by adult I don't mean nsfw but not intended for children or teens, although how much fun would that be right?), although just by publication date. It was originally announced before the old EU was rebranded as Legends but it happens to fit in the timeline of the new canon. HTTJ takes place in the months after the Battle of Yavin and falls in with the other new additions, namely the three Marvel Star Wars storylines that are currently under way: Star Wars, Darth Vader and Princess Leia. All of these are excellent and I can wholeheartedly recommend them. It focuses on Luke as he's getting over Obi-Wan's death and coming to terms with his connection to the Force. What makes HTTJ unique, and hard to love, is its first person narrative. The whole book is told from Luke's perspective which is hard to get used to both for the reader and, it seems. The effect is that the book doesn't really feel like a Star Wars story. That and the vocabulary is awkward and not very in-universe. For example, how does the kid who grew up on the dirt-poor desert planet of Tatooine know about ice cream? He doesn't/shouldn't. After so many years of the EU the Star Wars vocabulary is established; fresher for shower, chrono for watch, caf for coffee and the like. So far the other novels have kept up with this tradition but Kevin Hearne is new to the franchise and I would love to know whether it was a conscious decision by the author or the editor to break with tradition. Dear god I know its pedantic, but these are the things that bother me while reading.

HTTJ is not without redeeming factors. Luke is at his most likable in this book and Hearne really captures the feeling of young, slightly dorky "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to save you!" Luke rather than the dour Jedi master that we'd become so used to in the old EU. He feels like the Luke I fell in love with as a little girl. Luke's inner voice feels young and his infatuation with the other main character Nakari is sweet and endearing in sort of a puppy love way. He's also struggling to find his way and without Obi-Wan to guide him. He's coming off being the hero of the rebel alliance but its really done nothing to bolster his sense of self confidence. He's making little headway learning about the force and he's trying to grapple with his relationship with Darth Vader, the man he believes killed his father. He's trying to do what he can to help the rebellion but he feels like he's not as important as Leia. Luke and Nakari are tasked with retrieving an expert mathematician/hacker from Imperial custody and delivering her to a deserted planet to live in safety with her family. Along the way they are chased by imperial agents and get sold out by those they think they can trust. There is everything we hope for in a Star Wars novel but there is a greater focus on lesser known species and planets. 

Nakari is Luke's sidekick, love interest and biggest fan. She is an excellent character, and probably this book's brightest spot. She is a badass, confident, smart and creative. Their personal interactions are both awkward and endearing, although I personally could have done with a little more actual romance. Nakari is sort of a mentor to Luke and a cheerleader rather than a damsel in distress. 

The plot overall has some pacing issues, each battle scene is separated by and few pages of dialogue in a way that seems formulaic enough to be more at home in a video game than a novel. The entire book can be spit in tho three missions each with a different location. Perhaps this story my have been more effective told as a comic than a novel. The feeling of "what's at stake?" is largely missing. We can't argue that Luke and Nakari's mission is of vital importance to the success of the rebellion. 

The major problem with the book is also its biggest spoiler so here goes...

*

**

***

**

*

Nakari dies at the end. For no reason other than to cause Luke pain and give him a chance not to give in to the dark side. It's ridiculous. He could have had another reason, maybe anger or fear. It's just really unfortunate to waste a dynamic female character just to cause a man some pain. We've seen a few women in Luke's life get killed off in the old canon, but it always felt like it was because he was supposed to end up with Mara, but now there is no Mara. I just feel like it was lazy storytelling and I was hoping for more in the new canon. It proves that Lucasfilm/Disney/DelRay aren't listening to female fans yet, and that is really unfortunate.

Overall, unless you're a huge fan of all things Luke Skywalker, I would give this one a miss.

Rachel Bach's Paradox Trilogy Review

Rachel Bach's Paradox trilogy is a sci-fi story set in a distant future where humans have colonized multiple worlds and have divided into two distinct cultural groups, Terrans and Paradoxians. Terran culture is much like our own, while Paradoxian culture is highly militarized with a government and religion that revolves around its sacred king. Deviana Morris is a Paradoxian mercenary with dreams of joining the most elite unit of armored soldiers, the Devastators. When given the chance to join the crew of the Glorious Fool, a group of misfits under the command of the mysterious and famously unlucky Brian Caldswell, she jumps at the chance. Surviving a tour with Caldswell may be her ticket straight to the top, but even with her custom armor and guns, Devi is not ready for the adventures that await her in space. 

First of all, I love that the Paradox books are sci-fi novels featuring a female lead character written by a woman author. Not as rare as it used to be, thankfully, but still notable and awesome. More than that, though the books are well written, the characters are engaging and the universe well thought out and fully realized. Devi is likable as a protagonist. She is a no non-sense badass in the model of Ripley from the Alien films. As the plot unfolds, however, Devi discovers that she is a better person than she gives herself credit for and she becomes more well-rounded. There is also a romantic subplot that is subtle enough not to bore the hard-core sci-fi fan but sweet enough to make my inner fangirl squeal. The battle scenes are intense and the pacing is good overall.

Now, lest anybody this is a totally biased review, and don't get me wrong I love these books and will probably read them over and over, there are a few things that are a bit problematic. One is the path of the romance. Without giving away anything, things seems to turn around pretty fast for no discernible reason there that "twue wuv." It feels a little bit artificial at times. The plot itself also comes to sort of an awkward end. There was a little too much book left after the climax and a even then a few things are still left unanswered. That said, there is always room for another book. *wink wink, nudge nudge* Bach (who also goes by Rachel Aaron when she's writing fantasy, in case you were wondering) has not ruled out the possibility when asked. Squee!

Overall, the Paradox trilogy are a fun read. Each book is hard to put down and Devi is an awesome female character to cheer for. Pick them up today, you won't be sorry.

Coming soon... a review of Rachel Aaron's Legend of Eli Monpress series. 

LootCrate takes a look back

This month's LootCrate theme was rewind. It was jam packed with all the nostalgic things nerds of a certain age loved back in the day in all their pixelated, low-res glory. I am a sucker for all things retro myself and this month didn't disappoint. I really like that the crate themes have broadened a little bit and gotten away from being quite so gaming heavy. I also appreciated that more of the items in this month's crate were really usable. 

This month included an exclusive tee featuring Voltron. The blue-on-black is subtle and has kind of a Tron-esque vibe that I love. I'm definitely going to be getting some serious mileage out of this one.

I really like that there are more usable items in this month's box. The 8-bit sunglasses probably won't replace my daily wearers, but they'll be fun for specific outfits and they're UVA rated so they're not just for costume. Probably my favorite item this month though is the Space Invaders tie from Black Tie Geek. I'm already working to put together a work outfit to feature it but it would also make a great headband for those who are not so necktie-inclined. The comic notebook is a small blank book pre-divided into panels for at-home comic artists. It even includes a small stencil for all the thought bubbles and sound effects.

Next up is this little guy, a 10-doh! figure by Squid Kids Ink. Its a little anthropomorphized NES cartridge. He's even got his own little zapper. Each one of these little guys features a parody of a classic Nintendo title. 

Last, but certainly not least this month's comic was Marvel Star Wars #1. This is Marvel's first Star Wars comic since 1987 and it was a great opening effort. The story takes place after the events of Episode IV and features Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker sabotaging an imperial weapons depot. The art is outstanding and the storyline seems promising. I will definitely be picking up the other books in this arc.

All in all, this month was probably my favorite crate so far. If you're interested in a subscription or more information on LootCrate visit them here.

December's LootCrate is about Anniversaries

The theme for December's LootCrate is Anniversary. 2014 marks a lot of anniversaries in the nerd-o-sphere. Both Marvel and DC turned 75 this year, while both the Ghostbusters franchise and Tetris turned 30 and The Simpsons turned 25. Each beloved nerd entity is nicely represented and I thought the variety of types of products was a nice touch.
The crowning glory of this month's crate was the exclusive Funko Pop figure of the classic tv Joker dressed as Batman. It makes more sense when you see it.

He's adorable, with his little crazy eyes.
Along with the Joker, DC's side is represented by an exclusive Batman comic.

Marvel's side is slightly underrepresented. Enclosed this month were dancing baby Groot socks and a Captain America air freshener (it smells like vanilla, not freedom, sad). I realize I say this as a Marvel fangirl, but I'm a little disappointed by the inequality here. However, check out the Groot socks, so cute!

D'awwwww!
The Simpsons got a nod with a paper wallet. Made out of super tough Tyvek paper, it features a ton of classic characters. We had fun playing name that character.

Also included were a Ghostbusters hotel-style do not disturb sign, a set of Tetris stickers in bright neon colors. I can't wait to adorn something with them, I just haven't decided and I don't want to waste them.
Overall, another valiant effort LootCrate. I love the Joker figure even though Batman isn't really my jam. I think it was a smart decision to broaden the themes for the crates. They really do have something for everyone and this crate contained more useful goods than in the past.
Full disclosure: I paid for my LootCrate subscription.
More info on subscriptions and pricing at LootCrate

October Loot Crate is Fear-ful!

Hey everybody, its Loot Crate time again. For those of you who aren't familiar with Loot Crates, they are a subscription service providing a monthly box of geeky, nerdy goodness all matching a particular theme. There are always exclusive items, including figures and t-shirts. Its like a little box of ComicCon. 

In all honesty, I've been getting crates ever since my last review but I keep missing the window in getting a review posted. But I made it and today we're talking about October's crate, Fear. This spooky themed box featured an exclusive t-shirt and it was awesome.

It's a skull, made out of cats. Take it in. 

How to Survive a Sharknado survival handbook. Its a worst-case scenario style guide for SyFy channel movie disasters. A must-have should you encounter a ghost shark or a Mongolian Death Worm. (Spoiler alert - a shot-gun is almost always a good idea)

Probably the geekiest item in the box, a Sledgesaw-Hammer pen from Dead-Rising 3. It came packaged in a teeny-tiny footlocker box. Not my jam game-wise, but my action figures will delight in wielding it.

The Walking Dead comic #132, I would've been disappointed in a horror-themed crate with no Walking Dead.

Overall, outstanding crate. Not my favorite thus far because last month's crate, Galaxy, was so very flail-worthy and horror is not my genre but still excellent. Loot Crate's new broader crates offer something for everybody. I'm happy with every crate even if the theme is not my jam. 

For more info on Loot Crate visit them here. 

Full disclosure, I have a subscription that I pay for.

Star Wars' New Era

Star Wars has been in the news a lot in the past week and it only felt right to me to talk about the new era in the Star Wars universe. Just like many fans, my world was rocked by the announcement that the old Expanded Universe (EU). I was sad that Jaina and Jacen Solo, Mara Jade, and the Republic Commandos would no longer be canon. With the announcement of Episode VII, I cherished the hope of seeing my favorites on the big screen. But Disney has big plans for the new Star Wars. 

Phase one begins with the animated series Star Wars: Rebels on DisneyXD accompanied by the first new EU novel A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller. Having finished A New Dawn and seen a few episodes of Rebels I have to say I'm pretty excited. We haven't seen much about what happens in between Episodes III and IV and there's a lot of tantalizing nuggets in both stories. The strategy seems to be to show the universe from the bottom up. Both Gorse, the planet where A New Dawn takes place, and Lothal, the setting of Rebels, are on the outer rim, far away from the planets fans are familiar with. The people who live there are the little people who stand to sacrifice the most to the empire while reaping the least benefit from its rule. Even this early in the new era, its easy to see the roots of what would become the Rebel Alliance of the Original Trilogy (OT). What I especially like about Rebels is that they've made an effort to tie it into the OT. They've brought in characters that we know and love, sampled music from the original John Williams score and created backdrops taken directly from Ralph McQuarrie's concept art for the OT. 

The characters are both new and familiar at the same time. Kanan the one time Jedi padawan, is a Han Solo type swashbuckler, the lovable jerk. Hera is the brains of the operation, as adept as she is beautiful, reminiscent of Princess Leia. I have high hopes for Hera, I think there are a lot of places they could go with her character. I'm a little disappointed that Hera kind of got short shrift in A New Dawn as far as backstory and dimension go. She is mostly presented from Kanan's point of view as an object of desire and there is kind of a "will they or won't they" relationship between the two so far. Zeb is the muscle, who delights in cracking Stormtroopers' heads together and reminds me strongly of Jayne from Firefly fame. Sabine is a breath of fresh air. A teenage girl with a lot of artistic talent and a special appreciation for explosions, Sabine is sure to be a fan-favorite with little girls, a worthy successor to Ahsoka Tano. My not so secret hope for Sabine is that she will be an avenue to have more Mandalorians in the new canon. Lastly, there's Ezra, who is a force-sensitive street rat, adopted by the rest of the crew and poised to become Kanan's apprentice. The gang is frequently harassed by platoons of stormtroopers just as inept as they ever were and commanded by Agent Kallus and grasping imperial trying to wring the last assets out of the local people. Kallus reports to the shadowy Sith Inquisitor, whose purpose is to eradicate the last of the surviving Jedi. 

There are a few questions in particular that I'm still wondering how producer Dave Filoni (of Clone Wars and Avatar fame) will answer. One is what becomes of Kanan and Ezra if Luke, Obi-Wan and Yoda are the only surviving Jedi just 20 odd years later. The other is whether there will be any ties between this series and the Clone Wars. Could Ahsoka be back? How about the clones that enter the 501st? Its early days yet, but the new era for Star Wars is full of promise. 

For more on A New Dawn, check out my Goodreads review here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1089174653?book_show_action=false

Transformers: Age of Extinction Review (Minor Spoilers)

First things first, Transformers: Age of Extinction is a long movie. At 165 minutes, it more a test of endurance than a film. Second, it is a Michael Bay movie and as such, things blow up, all the things blow up. The fourth entry in the franchise follows up on the events of the last, although it replaces any familiar faces. Mark Walberg plays Cade Yeager, a blue-collar Texan who builds robots in his garage and comes into possession of Optimus Prime when he buys an old beat-up semi-truck to scrap for parts. When the FBI shows up looking for Optimus, now considered an enemy of the state, all hell brakes loose and Yeager goes on the run with his new transformer buddy, his whiny teenage daughter (Nicola Peltz) and her boyfriend (Jack Reynor). Optimus summons the remaining Autobots who've all but given up on humanity after discovering that the US government, led by a deliciously psycho Kelsey Grammer, has teamed up with bounty hunter, Lockdown and is hunting and killing all Transformers, Decepticon and Autobot alike. Lockdown is aided in his pursuit by a squad of man-made bots led by Galvatron who turns out to be a reincarnation of the Decepticon leader Megatron. The creator of the neo-Decepticons, a stunningly Steve Jobs-like character played by Stanley Tucci joins in the fight after realizing the power of what he has unleashed. Optimus seeks help from an ancient set of Dinobots who are sadly underused but utterly awesome. Battles ensue and much of Hong Kong is either smashed or blown up. The screen is taken up by flying shrapnel and car parts more often than not. As I walked out of the theatre I felt unsure as to what actually happened. Thats not to say I didn't enjoy it, I did but I didn't love it. I found the daughter annoying and whiny and needlessly jailbait-ish (not unlike Megan Fox in the first movie). I was waiting for the moment when she came into her own and got badass, which sadly never came. I loved the Dinobots and waited long into the movie for their appearance.

June LootCrate Rolls Out

Guess what everybody! Its June Loot Crate time! Here there be spoilers, so if you haven't received yours yet or you haven't ordered one stop here. Okay I've warned you, so lets dive in!

The theme for this month's crate was Transform, and that meant a load of sweet Tranformers stuff. Definitely great preparation for the new Transformers movie, Age of Extinction which comes out next week, don't you think?

Looks promising! I spy a Transformers/Back to the Future mash up tee and a blind box figure!

So stoked to wear this Back to the Future/Tranformers mashup tee. Perfect, red is my favorite color.

It's Soundwave! My box ended up being Team Decepticon.

A Hexbug! I've seen these little guys before but never played with one. They're incredibly fun.

Also in the box, a sticker sheet of popular Major League Gaming team logos, a coupon for a MLG membership, a MLG sweatband, a Decepticon sticker, Warheads (these were such a huge part of my childhood), and the June Loot Crate pin. 

This is my second loot crate. I meant to do an unboxing last month but I got so excited that I ended up just tearing into it instead. I have to say that I'm really impressed with how well the system works and the value of each crate compared to the cost of the subscription. To be fair, there is a fair amount of plugging for partner companies and some of the crate merch is the sort of swag you might pick up at a con but I would definitely recommend Loot Crate to anybody who is a serious pop culture/video game geek. 

Loot crate subscriptions start at $19.37 for a one month subscription and they can be found here. If you like what you see its not too late to get June's crate. Keep an eye out for coupon codes, they can save you a bundle.

Full Disclosure: I paid a normal subscription price for my crate.