Jaume Collet-Serra’s Carry-On is the absolute definition of what a popcorn thriller should be in its purest form. Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman are riveting on screen together in a risky cat and mouse game through TSA. It’s without a doubt the most thrilling experience you’ll have going through airport security.  

 

A grounded, yet far-fetched act of terrorism that entirely absorbs the viewer into its world with its tense quarters and absurd interaction between Ethan and his earpiece. The film is a ridiculous amount of fun, some are comparing it to the holiday classic Die Hard in an airport and I’m sorry, but that’s Die Hard 2 and this is much better.  

 

I could really feel Ethan’s nervousness about his future after his girlfriend’s pregnancy announcement and her plea to have him retry to join the police force. All these elements quickly turn against him when he’s assigned to the wrong spot at work. 

 

Egerton has a decent amount of connection with his on-screen love, Sofia Carson (Nora), but I never truly invested in their love story apart from a pregnant woman in peril. Danielle Deadwyler’s Elena Cole might be my least favorite character of the flick. It’s understandable after what she goes through in sudden succession that she might be untrusting, but her immediate desire to blow off our lead's truth is surely excruciating to watch. 

 

Bateman is an eerie villain, patiently scouting every step Egerton’s Ethan is going to take. His patience does run thin as Ethan attempts to evade his part of the plan, ultimately getting more attention than he expects on the people he cares about. While no Rickman or Irons, Bateman has a menacingly calm presence on the phone and it’s a surprisingly flawless casting of him in this role.  

 

Twists and turns do come up within Carry-On and beyond what’s been said I’ll keep them as a mystery, but the additional characters within these don’t add much more definition to the story. Pleasant surprises, sometimes shocking, but never enough is given to truly fear the character's outcome apart from Ethan or Nora. 

 

The first act is a fantastic set-up and a tense interaction hidden in secret between Ethan and the mysterious traveler. The second act cranks up the intensity and we can steadily see the kernels of this popcorn thriller start to burst. Then into the third and final act, we go full on action schlock in the best possible way. From the director of The Commuter and Non-Stop, Collet-Serra’s no stranger to creating an action sequence on a mode of transportation. 

 

While as the film dials up the action into the third act, things start to become more far fetched and a plot hole opens up. It doesn’t entirely break the film, but it is noticeable as it’s a sequence of events that don’t entirely add up. Another element that falls flat is a driving sequence that is one of the one uses of CGI in the film and BOY… is it distracting. This sequence is thrilling, shocking and all around needless in the grand scheme of things.

 

Carry-On isn’t exactly a Christmas movie at first glance but it does have a lot of Christmas related activity. What would happen if a terrorist attack went through LAX on Christmas Eve? Is a slacker, who decides just that day to take initiative going to ultimately save the day? It’s an extremely entertaining time and a perfect excuse to sit down with family and make it a dedicated viewing this holiday season.