Of everything that was wrong with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—and there's lots—the atomic bomb scene draws the most ire and criticism from fans. And surprisingly, it turns out it's not even plausible. What?!
Over on Overthinking It Dr. David Shechner subjects the scene, and the entire film, to a scientific peer review. And after crunching the numbers on the energy and forces behind an atomic blast, and the durability of a fridge, he concludes the filmmakers might not have done their homework.
But the sketchy science aside, he also believes the scene hits a nerve with fans over the nature of the character. The previous Indiana Jones films took place during times that are nostalgically considered more innocent, and Jones's ridiculous stunts come across as cartoonish pranks. But the threat of an atomic bomb, and memories of the Cold War, resonate a little more deeply with the average moviegoer. Compared to, say, leaping out of an airplane with nothing but an inflatable life raft. [Overthinking It via Slashdot]