The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s time to empty your wallet so you can buy your friends and families the latest and greatest toys and gadgets. Unfortunately, the gadgets we really want don't exist – other than in the movies. Still, if someone made these things available, we’d have to open another credit card or two. Make it happen, reality!
The hoverboard from Back to the Future Part II (1989)
In Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly time travels 30 years into future, arriving in the distant future of, uh, 2015. Apparently, something went wrong in the timeline because Jaws 19 isn’t in theaters and we don’t have any cool hoverboards. Don’t you feel a little ripped off?
The Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Look, you could randomly pick any gadget from Q’s lab or any car from James Bond’s garage and end up with something that will impress friends and potential lovers. But there is nothing that will ever top the Lotus Esprit, which has machine guns, rockets and, you know, the ability to turn into a submarine and drive underwater. It really redefines visits to the beach.
A lightsaber from the Star Wars series
It’s probably a good thing ordinary folks don’t have access to the “laser swords” from the Star Wars saga. Without proper Jedi training, these “civilized weapons for a civilized age” would only lead to a lot of missing fingers and a lot of hospital visits.
The time turner from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Time travel is serious business and should only be entrusted to responsible students like Hermoine Granger… and you. We can trust you with a magical hourglass that lets you turn back time a few hours so you can attend more classes and rescue innocent men from a lifetime of imprisonment using a flying horse creature named Buckbeak.
The neuralyzer from Men in Black (1997)
Have you ever said something you instantly regretted? Has someone ever seen you doing something that you’d rather they hadn’t? Don’t lie: the answer to both of those questions is a resounding yes. Moments like this makes us wish we could swing by our local department store and pick up a neuralyzer so we can erase the memories of our friends and families at will.
The climbing gloves from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Not many people would volunteer to climb the tallest building the world (we’re not all Tom Cruise), but if we ever found ourselves in such a perilous position, we’d like to have these gloves on hand. They may not be the slickest fashion accessories in the world, but they do allow you to cling to just about any surface. The only thing that compares is getting bitten by a radioactive spider.
The remote control from Click (2006)
As we see in Click, a remote control that lets you pause and fast-forward time is a double-edged sword – abuse your new power over the laws of nature at your own risk. But if you’re able to use it just right, it’s hard to imagine a more appealing accessory. Think of the pranks you can pull! Think of the lines you won’t have to wait in! Think of the amazing Fandango lists you can read without having to spend any actual time to do so!
The grappling gun from Batman (1989)
Look, we can’t all be Batman. That takes a lifetime of training and determination and, well, a couple of dead parents. You don’t have time to watch movies if you’re Batman. However, if we could buy his badass grappling gun, we could at least pretend to be Batman on occasion. Plus, we wouldn’t have to use an elevator ever again.
The point-of-view gun from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Here’s the key to winning any argument: you just shoot your opponent with the “point-of-view” gun and they instantly see everything from your perspective. Not being able to have this thing on hand for those awkward holiday get togethers is a shame.
The transporter from Star Trek (2009)
In some movies, teleportation devices result in the user accidentally being spliced together with a fly, which is no good. That’s not the case in the Star Trek universe, where anyone and everyone can just jump on a transporter pad and get beamed wherever they want to go. And we don’t even care about using in space – we just want to be able to take a quick afternoon trip across the world. You’re safe for now, airline industry!
