Why are People Loving Netflix’s ‘Carry-On’ This Christmas?

The action-thriller movie ‘Carry-On’ is ranking number one on Netflix’s Top 10 Movies list globally, showing that viewers have more of an appetite for thriller movies and series this Christmas season.

The film has been called a ‘Die Hard’ clone, trying to recreate the magic of Bruce Willis’ action-thriller, which ‘Carry-On’ is culpable for, but when light-hearted Christmas movies fail to recreate the magic of Christmas classics, why not try the thriller route?

‘Carry-On’ is a movie about a TSA agent at LAX airport Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) who gets threatened by a mysterious passenger (Jason Bateman) to let through a dangerous package onto a plane on Christmas Eve. With a looming death threat to his pregnant girlfriend Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson), Kopek is forced to follow the mercenary’s orders, but it turns out there is more at stake than just Nora’s life.

The film’s director Jaume Collet-Serra is known for collaborating with Liam Neeson for his commercially hit films ‘Unknown’, ‘Non-Stop’, ‘Run All Night’, and ‘The Commuter’. Collet-Serra recreates the same high-stakes situation and an everyday man turning into a hero in ‘Carry-On’, which could have been tiring to watch, but it is not.

The film has a relatable protagonist in Ethan Kopek; he might be someone we have seen before, but he is a relatable person who people quickly empathize with because he is stuck in a dead-end job when he wants to be a police officer. How many of us have stories like that? This thriller might be reminiscent of movies you have seen before, but it still connects with the viewers because of this backstory.

Familiarity with the plotline makes ‘Carry-On’ an addictive watch. It is not too intense regarding action, which does not make it overwhelming for the Christmas holidays. One of the enjoyable action sequences in the film is when LAPD detective Elena Cole fights the imposter John Alcott in a car en route to LAX airport, with Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ song playing. Ironically, the song’s lyrics symbolize Alcott’s deception; the Christmas love song is smartly utilized to complement a character’s deceit which makes the sequence entertaining to watch. 

The constant bullying of the Traveler and the Watcher (Theo Rossi) keeps the viewer hooked, waiting impatiently for Ethan to strike back. Bateman has done a good job with the character; he is lethal but without the dramatics. He is simple and direct, which makes his character eerily dangerous. On the other hand, Egerton perfectly depicts Ethan’s nervousness in executing the Traveler’s plans and he is quick and smooth when his character takes a 180-degree turn to save the day. 

The race against time to save the passengers on the flight to Washington also keeps the viewers engaged. It allows Ethan to develop into a hero who does everything he can to save his girlfriend and many lives on the airplane aat nd the airport. It iHerculeanlian task, but in the typical Collet-Serra fashion, he does it, which is nothing short of a Christmas miracle.