Sure, “Star Trek” has the replicator, which can create virtually anything, even food. However, in the interest of limiting each franchise to a single entry on this list, let’s talk about the rehydrator from “Spy Kids,” which is conceptually similar, at least when it comes to making tasty meals. 

As shown in the movie, a person merely needs to insert a packet into the rehydrator, which looks like a futuristic microwave. After a short amount of time, the packet transforms into an honest-to-goodness mean, ready to eat. Carmen Cortez (Alexa PenaVega) even uses it to make herself a Big Mac meal at one point, so if it actually existed, there would be no need to get in your car for a late-night food run. You could have packets on hand to get whatever food you wanted at any time of day. 

To be fair, various companies, like Barilla, have tinkered with 3D food printers, allowing people to make pasta in all sorts of fun shapes. But it just doesn’t hit the same, and it takes significantly longer than the few seconds it took for Carmen to get a burger and fries. For millennials, the “Spy Kids” rehydrator truly exemplifies the pinnacle of what technology could be, as TikToker @diabolical.sebby posted the clip from the film along with the caption: “I’ve never wanted something more than I want The Rehydrator.” The world doesn’t need the terrifying Thumb Thumbs though — the movie can keep those.