Throughout the holiday season, Netflix’s new film Carry-On has been surging in viewership numbers. In one week, it became the streaming platform’s most-viewed original film of the entire year. There have also been debates as to whether or not it classifies as a Christmas movie as it takes place during that time of year. Let the Die Hard comparisons begin.
The film follows young TSA agent Ethan Kopek played by Taron Egerton who’s working at Los Angeles Airport (LAX) during the holidays. One day, he receives a mysterious earpiece and puts it in his ear; a voice blackmails him to smuggle in a deadly package. If he fails, Ethan’s pregnant wife dies. It’s later revealed that this voice is an unnamed traveler played by Jason Bateman. Ethan has to figure out a way to both do as the Traveler commands and try to outsmart him.
Jason Bateman easily steals the show as the villain, giving off a more unhinged version of his character Marty Byrde from the crime drama Ozark. While we don’t see him physically for most of the runtime, his presence is felt as his lines to Ethan are threatening and elevate the intensity. The stakes are definitely felt.
Where the film struggles is in its believability. One scene that stands out is a fight scene in a car set to the tune of “Last Christmas.” The way it’s filmed makes the car unaffected by everything else going on around in the environment. Crashes and chaos are all around them, yet somehow the characters are unaffected. Another part that does not make sense is when the Traveler gets his hands dirty by interacting with the citizens traveling throughout LAX. Other law enforcement doesn’t seem to be at LAX looking into his actions.
Carry-On is a fun, tense thriller with a holiday backdrop. It doesn’t do anything particularly new yet is a fun escape for a night. While certainly not Netflix’s best, it is far from their worst.