
CARRY-ON
Starring: Taron Egerton, Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Tonatiuh, Theo Rossi, Logan Marshall-Green, Sinqua Walls, and Dean Norris
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

NICK

Carry-On is a throwback to early 2000s action-thrillers, but here's the thing: the term "throwback" is often used in a positive manner, and that's not the case here. This is a generic copycat film that wastes its talented supporting cast (Danielle Deadwyler, Sinqua Walls, and Logan Marshall-Green, to name a few), and even with Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman doing their best with what they are given, the unimaginative script betrays them. Notable cast aside, if a film like Rebel Ridge is the high end of Netflix actioners, then a film like Carry-On resides in the low end.

KATIE

Carry-On is a cliché but serviceable Netflix thriller that draws upon late 90s/early 2000s action films. The film’s success rests on the strong central performances from Taron Egerton, playing TSA agent Ethan Kopek, and Jason Bateman as the mysterious passenger, whose everyman charm is a great contrast to the sinister role. Carry-On is at its most entertaining during the tense conversations between them, but the uneven, often uninspired dialogue lets it down, as do the leaps of faith required to justify some characters’ actions. On the bright side, there are a couple of genuinely gripping and creative action sequences.

QUENTIN

Although not terrible by any means, Carry-On is basically a mediocre rip-off of Phone Booth (among other things) that did little more than make me want to watch Joel Schumacher’s (R.I.P.) underrated gem again. The performances from the better-than-it-deserves cast are generally fine but nothing special, although Jason Bateman’s typically wry persona adds some against-type intrigue to his villainous turn. Meanwhile, the suspense elements aren’t all that suspenseful, and the twists aren’t as clever as they think they are. Overall, it’s an inoffensive distraction, I suppose, but it mostly just made me wonder why the talented Taron Egerton seemingly isn’t getting offered meatier roles.

PAIGE

Carry-On very much has the vibe of an early 2000s action thriller, like the most basic versions of Air Force One or Phone Booth. While the movie certainly has some creativity to it, it's mostly a bunch of clichés that lack the suspense needed for a decent thriller. The film should have concentrated more on Jason Bateman's unexpectedly menacing performance rather than letting the plot get increasingly outlandish and cheesier as it progressed. Unfortunately, this movie is so predictable that my mind checked out at about the midway point.

PRESTON

Carry-On does just enough to make it a worthy, if not supremely mediocre, Netflix flick. Taron Egerton is a bit over the top at times, but serviceable as TSA agent Ethan Kopek, while Jason Bateman provides a realistic tint to his character’s dialogue that makes the film much more successful than it would have been otherwise (seeing him as the “bad guy” is a fun bonus too). It's a nice attempt to enter the ranks of the Die Hard-class of Christmas films, but it comes up short as a predictable and less-than-thrilling “thriller,” typical of releases of the same ilk.