Fanboys Anonymous

What is a MacGuffin? For anyone who hasn't heard this term before, "MacGuffin" was first used by the famous film director Alfred Hitchcock to refer to "an object that drives the plot of a story forward—even if it's intrinsically meaningless." Most importantly, a MacGuffin is usually the person, place, object, or thing pursued by the main character. Counting down from 20, this is Part 1 of the list of objects I think are well-known MacGuffins from the geek world of the most popular science-fiction and fantasy movies.


20) The Crystal Shard from The Dark Crystal (1982)

As the lost piece from a magical crystal, the crystal shard, when discovered, was important because it would bring peace to the alien world of the protagonist, the elf-like "Gelfling" Jen. Jen went on a quest to find the lost shard of crystal, and The Dark Crystal depicts the adventures he encountered on his journey.


19) Unobtanium from Avatar (2009)

First referred to as Unobtainium, this element was the main object that brought about the plot in James Cameron's movie Avatar. Found on the moon Pandora, humans mine Unobtanium for their survival in the 22nd-century world of the movie.


18) Multipass from The Fifth Element (1997)

Somewhat of an identification card, the pass card with Multi Pass written on it was used in Luc Besson's science fiction movie The Fifth Element as a way to pass through different planets. Without it, neither Leeloo Dallas (Milla Jovovich) nor Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) would have been able to save 23rd-century Earth from the evil Lord Zorg. This was not really pursued by the characters, but it is of value throughout the movie.


17) Kryptonite from the Superman series (1978, 2006, 2013)

You may ask why would kryptonite be considered a MacGuffin? But, dear Fanboys and Fangirls, if you think about it, all the adventures of Superman are based upon him fighting his archenemies and kryptonite. Without kryptonite, neither Lex Luthor nor Metallo would be able to use it against him, and Superman would not need to save the day because they wouldn't be able to get past him in the first place!


16) The Matrix from The Matrix Trilogy (1999–2003)

After Neo (Keanu Reeves), the main character, finds out the truth about reality and discovers that everything is created by the Matrix, his destiny changes. He becomes "The One" who fights the programmed robots brought about by the Matrix, the Smiths, and throughout the trilogy his goal is to destroy the Matrix. Without the Matrix, Neo would have spent his days living life "normally" as a white-collar worker with a 9–5 job, and the battle for freedom from the Matrix would never have happened!


15) The Stargate from the Stargate series (1994)

This "interstellar transportation device" helped the characters of the Stargate SG-1 television series and the Stargate movie go through the event horizon and travel to other planets. The device, known as the stargate, allows Dr. Jackson and his crew to explore different worlds and embark on various adventures. It is by far the most important object pursued by the characters.


14) Red Matter from Star Trek (2009)

Originally a television series that began in 1968, 2009's Star Trek was the eleventh film of the franchise, directed this time by J.J. Abrams. In it we see how a young Spock and Kirk become part of Starfleet and the Enterprise in the year 2255 after a time-warping event causes Romulus to be destroyed and their personal histories to be rewritten from the original setup. When the crew of the Enterprise goes after a Vulcan distress signal, they come face-to-face with the Vulcan ship Narada and its enemy captain, Nero. It is during this time that Nero drills red matter into the core of Vulcan, creating a black hole that destroys the planet entirely. Developed by the Vulcan Science Academy, red matter was valuable to both Vulcan and Romulus, and both were after it. Unfortunately, it caused the destruction of both planets.


13) The Cure from World War Z (2013)

If you haven't watched this movie, then you shouldn't read on, because there will be spoilers! In this apocalyptic world of zombies, the main character, Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), an employee of the United Nations, ends up becoming a hero and going after zombies. While the World Health Organization and the rest of the world search for a cure, Lane tries to find one throughout the movie. In the end, we learn the cure is actually any type of virus! Apparently, the zombies do not prefer unhealthy humans.


12) The AllSpark Key in Transformers (2007)

The AllSpark is the essence of the Transformers and is apparently the origin of Primus, the leader of the Transformer group the Autobots. The cube acts as its host and when opened it will find another. When utilized, the Allspark creates new Transformers; thus the evil group of Transformers, the Decepticons, are always after it. This was the main plot of the 2007 film Transformers in which the Decepticons go after the protagonist, Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBouf), because he possessed the AllSpark. The AllSpark is highly powerful and remains the MacGuffin of the Transformers series.


11) The Aether from Thor: The Dark World (2013)

In the second movie of the Thor series, the plot begins when the Dark Elf Malekith is reawakened by the existence of the matter, Aether. By itself, the Aether is not dangerous, but when it finds a host it can destroy the universe and change the course of everything! When Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) becomes possessed by this matter filled with darkness, Thor must not only try to bring together the Nine Realms but also save the woman he loves. Malekith comes after the Aether as well so that he can use its power to cause chaos and conquer the universe, thus making the plot even more complex.


Stay tuned for the Top 10 MacGuffins! If you have any suggestions or comments about these MacGuffins or would like to add any videos or MacGuffins of your own, don't forget to post below!