What would be a good McGuffin?

[Agent0028]

I think an artifact from another religion that may not be well known would be cool. Something along the line of the Sankara stones except real.

 

[piccolodaimaoh]

Eh, not looking at my post just before yours is far beyond lazy.
The Fleece isn't really a powerful object though, for a proper Indy McGuffin you would need something that either has very strong contemporary religious significance (Sankara Stones, Ark, Grail) or world threating power (Ark, Grail). Maybe if it bestows worldwide kingship on it's owner, sort of like what it did to Jason but far more powerful.
I like Posidon's Trident as the McGuffin which could cause Earthquakes.

Oh crap, my mistake, there it is in the very last line.

But in defense of the Fleece, wasn't it seen as a symbol of prosperity? Kind of like the stones in Temple, the kingdom that had the Fleece usually was the richest and they attributed it to possesion of the Fleece.
Plus if they want to go the route of the Ray Harryhausen movie it could also summon say the Hydra to appear and spite your enemies. Or, you would have to defeat the Hydra to possess the Fleece. It is kind of a thin story but with the right writer it could work.

 

[garzo]

Personally, I think the whole reliance on a specific MacGuffin actually limits the story severely, resulting in a very formulaic film. As a result, the hands of the filmmakers are tied and you end up with less than spectacular movies. Instead, most of the sequels end up being very similar and following a common structure (except for Temple of Doom, which tried to be a little different).
I say get rid of the MacGuffin formula. Having Indy in a race against the Russians (or whoever) in search of some mythical object would just invite bad comparisons with Raiders.
Indy is a world-class archaeologist, but we've never seen him out in the field actually working except for the beginning of Raiders. I'd like to see him take a group of students out to a dig somewhere and have him become entangled in a different kind of adventure, and preferably not with the Russians.
The Russians have been used now for Crystal Skull and I think it should end there. I don't see the reason why Indy should always go up against an enemy foreign power. That got old with Last Crusade and seems overused with Skull. How about a fellow archaeologist along the lines of Belloq? Or the FBI? Or maybe even the Church or some other powerful organization? A secret powerful society. Whatever, but something a tad different than what we've seen in most of the Indy films.
The filmmakers should not be afraid to take Indy into a different type of adventure. A great movie from the 60s is "She" with Peter Cushing as an archaeologist who discovers a secret civilization ruled by a beautiful and immortal Ursula Andres (It was based on the novel by H.R. Haggard). Why not something along those lines? (Mutt can be the chosen one, who looks identical to the immortal queen's long-lost love, but just coincidentally).
Why always a chase for a mythical object, first found by Indy after a high-speed chase, then taken by the "villains," who are ultimately destroyed by said object?
We've seen that and "Skull" is no different. There are so many possibilities out there and I don't understand why Spielberg and Lucas insist on making these movies in a straight jacket. They should hand over the franchise to more creative writers.

 

[Blackhole]

The Millenium Falcon...

Oh wait...they've already done that...

And yes, those human remains were eerily familiar...

 

[Captain Britain]

How about a Konga Bell, 'used in Esoteric Buddhism to summon Buddhas and Gods'. I'd like it to be a Buddhist relic (it ain't going to be an Islamic one, and I think we all know why - they're just not going to 'go there').

https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/dictio/data/kinkou/mikkyo.htm

Would tie in with an expedition to find Shambhala (Shangri-La).

 

[screamingmetal]

Oh crap, my mistake, there it is in the very last line.

But in defense of the Fleece, wasn't it seen as a symbol of prosperity? Kind of like the stones in Temple, the kingdom that had the Fleece usually was the richest and they attributed it to possesion of the Fleece.
Plus if they want to go the route of the Ray Harryhausen movie it could also summon say the Hydra to appear and spite your enemies. Or, you would have to defeat the Hydra to possess the Fleece. It is kind of a thin story but with the right writer it could work.

Personally, I see the Golden Fleece as a symbol of legitimate Kingship, which is exactly what Excalibur represents. Maybe if possessing the Fleece would make you king of the world then I could see it as a good McGuffin.

Jason had to battle a Dragon that guarded the Fleece, the Hydra was something that Herakles had to battle as one of his labors. But I see what you're saying, the problem with the fleece is that it's just kind of boring if you don't embellish it's power from the original Myth.

How about a Konga Bell, 'used in Esoteric Buddhism to summon Buddhas and Gods'. I'd like it to be a Buddhist relic (it ain't going to be an Islamic one, and I think we all know why - they're just not going to 'go there').

https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/dictio/...kou/mikkyo.htm

Would tie in with an expedition to find Shambhala (Shangri-La).

That's a pretty good one, never heard of it before. Something Buddhist would be a welcome addition to the Indy Mythos.