Carry-On Review: An Explosive Thrill!

December 24, 2024 Surya Komal 0 Comments Carry-On, Danielle Deadwyler, English Movies, Hollywood, Hollywood Movie Reviews, Hollywood Movies, Jason Bateman, Jaume Collet-Serra, Sofia Carson, Taron Egerton

It’s the holiday season, which means whipping out our favorite yearly Christmas movies to watch, typically a common handful that makes their rounds on everyone’s TVs in the month of December. It has been a while since a new film set during Christmas has been able to stand up against the classics, creating a space for itself in the end of the year roundup for audiences.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra, known for his multiple collaborations with Liam Neeson for action movies including Non-Stop, Run All Night, and The Commuter to name a couple, has returned with another action-thriller after working with Disney and Warner Brothers in the last couple years. Carry-On is Jaume Collet-Serra most exciting film since 2014’s Non-Stop that reminds audiences how much fun a high stakes contained film can be under the right circumstances.

Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) is at a standstill in his life. After failing to be accepted into the Police Academy, he has found himself working as a TSA officer at LAX for years without any type of promotion. With a baby on the way with his girlfriend Nora (Sophia Carson), Ethan decides it is time to get himself together and ask for a promotion from his boss on the busiest weekend of the year, Christmas.

Giving him a shot to prove his worth, Ethan is stationed at the baggage scanning lane. After receiving an unknown text informing him to put in an earpiece that was found in a baggage container by a woman, Ethan’s life is altered as he is blackmailed by mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) to allow a suspicious bag through the scan to board a plane or else Nora will die.

“This is the final boarding call for passenger—” pic.twitter.com/YwvSlKK7or

— Netflix (@netflix) December 20, 2024

Taron Egerton shows yet again that he is a charming and likeable leading man to anchor a film with just enough predictability and surprises to grab audiences and then leave them guessing until the end. T. J. Fixman’s script is structured where the audience learns more about Ethan as the film progresses through his interactions with Bateman’s character and Bateman’s research on him. As Ethan just happened to be stationed at the wrong place at the wrong time, the slow progression of character development on Ethan intrigues audiences while maintaining empathy for his dire situation.

Carry-On succeeds the most through its predictability as to how everything will eventually turn out with enough uniqueness in its storytelling that keeps us glued to the screen. It knows how to utilize its strengths in the genre while also developing a comical villain and action sequences that range from cartoony to impressive choreographed fighting. The journey to how Ethan’s situation will play out is where Jaume Collet-Serra and Fixman creativity shines.

At an almost two hour runtime, the film allows for the story to expand while making way for highly entertaining action that leads to a critical conclusion. It is impossible to not have the largest grin on one’s face while watching because of its nod to action films of the 2000s while also feeling fresh in its own right.

We Got a Proper Thriller On Our Hands #CarryOn pic.twitter.com/mEukcF9wgQ

— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) December 16, 2024

The film maintains a fantastic balance of logic and absurdity to create a fast-paced experience. The events that occur within the airport would be enough for a logical shutdown but part of the enjoyment is unleashing realistic expectations and jumping into a world where events such as these could play out without the masses catching on.

This suspension of disbelief is balanced by logical and realistic actions of airport passengers and customers in their annoyance of how their travel plans will be affected by terminal shutdowns and delays. There is also a level of comedy within Carry-On as audiences will identify the insane expectations and complaints of the general public trying to get where they need to go during the holiday season.

Carry-On has lots of movie magic while being grounded in a realistic atmosphere of people’s reactions and choices for the ones they love the most. This is one film set during the Christmas season that will remain a staple in seasonal viewings and one that brings Jaume Collet-Serra back to his original form of filmmaking.