Re: How do they get the nuclear rods into a reactor?

New uranium fuel rods are not very hazardous and can be moved by hand. 

Spent fuel is highly radioactive and extremely hazardous. Spent fuel is 
fuel that has already spent some time in the reactor core.  It is typically 
moved and stored underwater as you saw in the movie.  A fuel bundle is 
moved by crane while it is underwater due to its weight.  Lighter fuel, 
such as from a university research reactor, can be moved using specially 
designed poles with grappling devices by trained technicians.  However, it 
is still kept underwater at all times.

The reason the fuel is kept underwater is to use the water to both cool the 
spent fuel and to shield personnel from the high radiation levels around 
the spent fuel.  The water itself is not very hazardous, but the radiation 
levels near the fuel are.

For more general information on nuclear power that includes spent fuel 
storage in pools as well as in dry systems, see the following web page:
 http://www.cannon.net/~gonye
au/nuclear/