Indy 4 Inspires New “Jump The Shark” – Did Spielberg “Nuke The Fridge”?

Jumping The Shark is a term used by TV and film critics to suggest a series has passed its peak, and can only go downhill from now. The term is a reference to an episode of Happy Days from 1977 where Fonzie literally jumped a shark while water skiing. But we may have a new contender for a catchphrase with the same meaning… To Nuke A Fridge.

Most of you will have now seen Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull by now, and some of you like I, will have loved it, while others will have hated it. But whichever camp you are in, you cannot fail to have noticed some of the ludicrously contrived plot points used throughout the film, the biggest of which was when Indy survived a nuclear bomb test by hiding in a fridge.

This has lead to multiple entries on the Urban Dictionary, a collection of phrases and words used but not recognised by official publications, to Nuke The Fridge as reported here via FilmDrunk.

A colloquialism used to delineate the precise 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. A reference to one of the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which the titular hero manages to avoid death by nuclear explosion by hiding inside a kitchen refrigerator. The film is widely recognised by fans as a major departure from the rest of the series both in terms of content and quality.
Guy 1: “Wow. Did you see the new Indy movie? What the hell was that? It was like I was having some kind of flu induced absurdist nightmare.”

Guy 2: “Yep… did or did not that series permanently Nuke the Fridge?”

Guy 1: “Oh, totally Nuked the Fridge! But I guess Spielberg is happy as long as he has the money of the people who trusted him.”

Guy 2: “Guess so…”

Brilliant stuff, and I have to agree with the sentiments. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the fourth Indy film, I cringe now when thinking back to certain scenes, with the fridge one being the most cringe worthy of all.

The term Nuke The Fridge first appeared on the IMBD message boards, before being picked up and spread on Facebook and MySpace. Now that websites such as us are reporting it, expect it to spread even further. Let’s get it in to the real dictionary!