Written by T.J. Fixman
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Traveler (to Ethan): "All you have to do ... is nothing."
As I start to slowly come out of the Christmas spirit, I thought I'd at least watch one more festive themed movie. Of course Netflix was there to provide with such a movie, albeit in the action genre. Die Hard this ain't but it's certainly an entertaining attempt at a tense action drama.
You've got Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), a TSA Officer working at the Los Angeles International Airport. He had ambitions to be a cop but couldn't pass the tests needed and now he's got a girlfriend named Nora (Sofia Carson) and a baby on the way. On top of that, our hero isn't a big fan of Christmas.
Unfortunately for Ethan, the holidays are the least of his worries. When he showed a bit of initiative at work, it put right in the crosshairs of an unnamed terrorist going by Traveler (Jason Bateman) who demanded that he did nothing or there would be consequences. Having an elderly co-worker killed right in front of Ethan meant that this guy meant business.
Of course the terrorist wanted to get a nerve gas on board a flight and for that, he needed more than just Ethan's unwilling help. The unfortunate Mateo (Tonatiuh) had his husband Jesse (Adam Stephenson) being used as leverage by Traveler's accomplice Watcher (Theo Rossi) in order to carry out the mission.
Adding to the complications, you had the steely and determined LAPD detective, Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) who was adamant about stopping the terror plot, even when Agent Alcott (Logan Marshall Green) turned out to be working for the bad guys. There's that classic misunderstanding between her and Ethan before realising they were both on the same side.
As for Ethan, during the movie we learned more about his past, why he initially failed his police exam, about his family and hatred for Christmas and so on. We got all of this while the movie demonstrated his aptitude for being a police officer while also having him stop Traveler and save the day. Yes, it's done in such a cliche manner but it still worked out for him.
- There's some good supporting performances from Dean Norris and Sinqua Walls as Ethan's supervisor Phil and co-worker, Jason respectively.
- Apparently this has become the most watched Netflix original movie in 2024.
- Standout music: Wham's Last Christmas and Darlene Love's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).
- Chronology: The movie ended with a tine jump into the next year as Ethan, Nora, their baby and Jason and his family went to Tahiti.
Like most streaming action movies, Carry-On pretty much delivered on what you'd expect. It doesn't reinvent the wheel and while I wouldn't say it's a career high for either Taron Egerton or Jason Bateman, they're both on great form. I actually liked this more than I thought I would. It's rather entertaining.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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