The Anthology of Codology kevinlehane.com

It seems new film terminology was coined over the weekend, thanks to Indy IV. No longer is jumping the shark the only way to describe the death knell of a franchise. We now have “nuking the fridge.” Already with its own website and t-shirts.

“Nuking the fridge” refers to the moment at which a cinematic franchise has crossed over from remote plausibility to self parodying absurdity, usually indicating a low point in the series from which it is unlikely to recover.

Originating from a scene in the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull where the titular hero survives a nuclear detonation by hiding in a lead-lined fridge before being blown thousands of feet — the sole debris to do so without disintegrating upon impact — only to emerge completely unscathed.

The absurdity of this occurrence is that, although lead is radiation proof, lead melts at 620°F and is not resistant to the millions of degrees that an atomic bomb would render. Thus, a crystallized moment when a franchise was destroyed by sheer inanity and the phrase was coined.

The saying is also a reference to the colloquialism to “jump the shark,” which refers to an episode of Happy Days where the Fonz jumped a shark on water skis, considered the lowest point of the show. “Jumping the shark” is applied to a television series whereas to ‘nuke the fridge’ refers to film.

“Star Wars really nuked the fridge when Jar Jar Binks was introduced.”
“Indiana Jones IV nuked the fridge when they nuked the fridge.”

Taken from Urban Dictionary. What a legacy Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is leaving.