The Urban Dictionary has added an entry for “Nuke the Fridge”, a contemporary replacement for the slang term “Jumped the Shark”.
Jump the Shark is a reference to a scene in an episode of Happy Days when Fonzie literally jumps over a shark while water skiing. The scene was considered so preposterous, and is considered by many to signify the moment in time when the show became unappealing to its core audience.
The new term Nuke the Fridge is based on an event in the opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Here is an explanation of the term from the online Urban Dictionary:
“Nuke the fridge is a colloquialism used to refer to the moment in a film series that is so incredible that it lessens the excitement of subsequent scenes that rely on more understated action or suspense, and it becomes apparent that a certain installment is not as good as a previous installments, due to ridiculous or low quality storylines, events or characters.
The term comes from the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which, near the start of the movie, Harrison Ford’s character survives a nuclear detonation by climbing into a kitchen fridge, which is then blown hundreds of feet through the sky whilst the town disintegrates. He then emerges from the fridge with no apparent injury. Later in the movie, the audience is expected to fear for his safety in a normal fistfight.
Fans of the Indiana Jones series found the absurdity of this event in the film to be the best example of the lower quality of this installment in the series, and thus coined the phrase, “nuke the fridge”.
The phrase is also a reference to the phrase “jump the shark”, which has the same meaning, only applied to a television series instead of a film series.
This phrase is not in common use.
“Star Wars didn’t really nuke the fridge until Jar Jar Binks was introduced.”
“Peter Parker dancing around the bar in Spider-Man 3? Kinda nukes the fridge!”
“The Godfather: Part III nukes the fridge.”
“Gremlins 2 more or less nuked the fridge.”
What do you think? Pretty funny but I think “Jumped the Shark” rolls off the tongue easier.
via: FilmDrunk
June 4th, 2008 at 1:19 am
“Nuke The Fridge” I will be using that one for a while with friends.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:24 am
how dare they mention Gremlins 2!
June 4th, 2008 at 1:38 am
The only problem is, I would nominate “Jump out of plane with life raft, fall for 14 seconds and walk away unscathed” as the older completely unbelievable Indiana Jones moment more fit for a catchphrase. But it’s 2008 and a movie just came out and this is the internet, therefore the fridge moment (and the movie it takes place in) sucks but the old ones (and their respective unbelievable moments) are flawless and totally plausible when we look at them through our childhood memory-laced, rose-colored glasses.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Nuttier than a monkey with a greaser hairdo.
June 4th, 2008 at 2:28 am
You know, I didn’t think Indy 4 was that bad.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:27 am
Angels & Demons nuked the fridge when Robert Langdon jumps out of the helicopter. I know the movie isn’t out yet but you’ll see what I mean.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:41 am
I’m gonna use this phrase based on the degree of suckiness (i.e. “nuke the fridge” > “jumped the shark” in terms of bad).
June 4th, 2008 at 4:54 am
Pretty much nonsense. Just as Justin said - what about “Jump out of plane with life raft, fall for 14 seconds and walk away unscathedâ€? Or trip to Germany while hanging outside the sub? BS…
June 4th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Right up there with, “Midichlorians”.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:19 am
no one will use this phrase. no one.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Explain to me how you get to Germany in a sub..but i get your point. And this phrase is right on….if you take that moment out of the film I probably could overlook the rest of the little things that irritated me, save the army of undead that really aren’t undead because you can just shoot them and move on.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Nevermind that last comment….i was over come with the stupid. it must be these florescent lights in this cube farm…sucking the life out of me.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:57 am
That’s the exact moment where Indy 4 lost me.
Vic
June 4th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I would have preferred “Swing the monkey”
June 4th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Those two phrases don’t really mean the same thing, based on the definitions up there. “Jump the shark” needs to be put to bed; way overused. And “Nuke the fridge”? Anyone who says either of these phrases should try to come up with something else.
June 4th, 2008 at 7:54 am
The phrase “space between space” has become a common roll-of-the-eyes saying around the office.
It “swings with monkeys” is also useful.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Justin has a great point. “Jump from a plane in a raft”, “Hang on to a sub until you get to an undetermined(?) Greek island”, “Run out of railing and jump several meters in a mine cart and land back on the railing” are all moments that are just a ludicrous as the fridge fiasco. I see no merit in adopting the latter sequence as a cath-phrase just to use my discontent with Lucas’s “contributions” to Indy 4 to make me look like some kind of cool geek.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:26 am
I personally don’t like it. Jumping the shark can appeal to both TV and Film and this just seems to be something that the fanboys have created to hate Lucas for. Indy 4 may be the weakest of all 4 of the films, but it was still up there for quality.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:43 am
hello guys! did you not see?! the fridge WAS lined with led!! and everyone knows led is a lifesaver when trying to survive a nuclear explosion followed by a thousand foot free-fall impact. duh.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I liked the Nuke the Fridge scene, very Indiana Jones. The fact that KOTCS was mostly boring was the worst part
June 4th, 2008 at 9:50 am
The nuke scene was great. The ending was just too much.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:53 am
i like it. i like that its jump the shark for my generation. at least i can relate to it because it’s exactly what i was thinking when i saw it. i’ve never even seen that episode of happy days. that show sucked and wasn’t funny.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:33 am
The fridge was not that much more outlandish than some of the other stunts in the Indy series.
Most the criticism I’ve seen smacks of the same “Waaaah! Lucas ruined my childhood!” pouting. Movies like these are not supposed to be realistic, they’re supposed to be goofy fun. And for the most part it was. Was it as good as the others? Not really. Did I enjoy it? Yes.
And old subs often traveled on the surface when not on the defensive. I always kinda wondered how they got *off* the secret Nazi island, personally.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:50 am
NUKE THE FRIDGE! Awesome.
Gremlins 2 being associated with this non sense, I can’t agree. What in that movie made absolutely no sense? Oh wait, the talking one? That gremlin was mad ill. Or something.
Great phrase thought. I have a feeling that “LOST” nuked the fridge.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Some of you guys missed the point. The definition says:
“Nuke the fridge is a colloquialism used to refer to the moment in a film series that is so incredible that it lessens the excitement of SUBSEQUENT scenes that rely on more understated action or suspense…”
The Fridge was TOO much TOO early.
The River Raft in Temple of Doom stood on its own and the audience’s suspension of belief was not called upon until much later in the film (by that time, hearts were getting ripped out, etc.)
The Fridge called for an extremely high level of disbelief VERY early into the film, and ended on a ridiculous three-times-a-charm prairie dog joke.
As an example, if Raiders had melted faces in the first 40 minutes, it wouldn’t have been half as powerful. The entire film leads up to that one moment where “the power of God, or something” destroys the Nazis by melting faces and taking names. The entire film was set up to make you believe that, therefore it was perfectly timed in terms of story.
The fridge saves Indy from an atom bomb in the first 20 minutes — and it ends on a gag. It’s poor execution, and that same silly humor and execution is what keeps the film from ever gaining suspense, danger, or understated awesomeness. I love how the army friend of Indy tries to get the audience to buy into the fridge gag in the referential “Don’t you know those fridges are dangerous?” Ugh. Please.
June 4th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I liked Indy IV, i think the plot was a bit nonsensical but we have to remember that this movie is based on the tv serials of the 50’s (which were highly influenced by the happenings in roswell new mexico)
I have learn to enjoy movies, as the filmmakers intended to do it, not as i want them to be. After all they’re their movies!!
June 4th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
slashfilm.com jumped the shark by asking if nuke the fridge is the
new jump the shark… “nuke the fridge” is just plain stupid sounding
June 4th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I agree with the general opinion that this post Jumps the Fridge.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I agree, /Film totally nuked the shark with this post.
Actually I thought the nuke scene could’ve maybe worked a little better if it came EARLIER, as the bombastic ridiculous opening scene. Maybe.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
“Midichlorians  hahahaha I always forget those tiny little bastards.
so Indiana Jones sucked, that wasn’t a surprise at all, pretty much everyone knows that George Lucas “jumped the shark” long ago.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:44 am
By now means is Crystal Skull the worst film in the series. Temple of Doom= huge piece of shit.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Whoever made up this phrase was just *trying* to create an internet meme… therefore, I won’t ever say/write it.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
What about “Swing the vine?”
That seen totally ruined the movie for me. The other events were rediculous, but they weren’t retarded.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Consider this, though. In previous installments, we had things that were at least fairly plausible. If we were Mythbusters, we’d probably say that falling from the plane with the raft was *plausible* based on what kind of surface you landed on, etc. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit. But still, for the most part, the stuff Indy did was mostly at least plausible.
There is no f’ing way a human being climbs into a refrigerator, gets blown up by a NUCLEAR EXPLOSION, falls from the sky to hit solid ground, rolls down a hill and survives. It’s not the least bit plausible. They did it for the sake of doing it, and damn the plausibility of it.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:02 am
People are discussing the realistic qualities of the Indy series in earnest? What next, we begin treating them as valid historical commentaries? I watch Indiana Jones for a good bit of cult classic entertainment. That’s what I expect, that’s what it delivers, and good times are had all ’round.
Though I have to agree the vine-swinging was a bit much.