Carry-On: An Intelligent, Meticulous Thriller

To all of the journalists and audience members who gave this film atrociously poor reviews citing some of its more far-fetched elements: movies are not a logic contest between you and the director, so for the love of all that is good and holy, stop dismissing objectively well-constructed stories with irrelevant critiques about plausibility because it makes you look dumb, makes me worry that studios will stop making movies with legitimately good ideas like the one we see in Carry-On because of a perceived backlash, and ultimately just gives me something else to complain about - and we know how much you hate that. OK, rant over. Carry-On is a very smart and yes, flawed Netflix original that managed to keep my rapt attention from the very beginning to the very end, despite some more far-fetched story beats that were entirely irrelevant to its quality. The movie's not exactly what one would call high art, but it actually does a lot of things very well, and it deserves its time to be recognized, even if that time may be relatively brief. The simple, effective premise of Carry-On elevates it quite a bit higher than other holiday-season Netflix fare, and if you like effective moral dilemmas, this movie is more than worth your time. Oh, a note for your own viewing pleasure - skip the trailer for Carry-On and go into this one blind. You'll thank me later when the entire plot of the movie isn't spoiled for you.

So, you may ask, what is this movie even about? Carry-On is a 2024 thriller that follows Ethan Kopek, an airport security guard who has to make a choice. Does he listen to the mysterious man instructing him to allow a chemical weapon onto an airplane, or does he say something - and get his pregnant girlfriend Nora, who works as an airline manager at the same airport, killed? To put it more succinctly, it's Phone Booth in an airport.

Right from the get-go, this movie grabbed me effectively with the screen presence of our villain, who actually isn't even named in the credits or cast for this movie. He has a meticulous and menacing screen presence that even some villains in AAA movies lack. It always feels like he's got a level of control over what happens in this movie and where the movie's going to go, and that's a good place for a villain to be. As for Ethan and Nora, I like how this movie takes a little bit of time in its first act to show us their normal life, especially as it relates to Ethan. Carry-On isn't afraid to put you on the level of its characters, and patiently paces the movie rather than merely entertaining. However, on that subject, a lot of my complaints about Carry-On have to do with one performance in particular: Sofia Carson as Nora. She's...okay, how do I put this? Terrible. Just because you look like a Kardashian doesn't mean you can act, and even if Sofia has a mercifully low amount of screen time compared to Ethan - who's acted far more effectively by Taron Egerton - she kind of took me out of the movie whenever she did appear.

However, even if everything may not be perfect about Carry-On, I didn't really expect it to be perfect, and maybe I'm just being lenient with the movie - but that's not to say that it doesn't do anything well, because I'd be lying if I said so. I've rarely seen anything quite like this movie before, even if its setting may be immediately recognizable as an airport terminal, which is a place I'm sure you've seen before. Its premise is remarkably well thought-out and mostly well-executed. Best of all, its premise is simple, and in the best of ways, acts like a throwback to some of the suspense movies of the '80s and '90s without any of the camp and cheese of that era. I was legitimately interested in seeing how Ethan would solve this dilemma presented to him by an unseen terrorist who Ethan talks with and gets blackmailed by via an earpiece. Also, this captor-to-captive dynamic would have been fine as is, but this movie uses it to turn into an unexpected character study of Ethan at points, which surprised me in some really pleasant ways.

Furthermore, this terrorist has a distinct identity to him to match the menacing presence he displayed at the start of the movie. It's a cool effect for someone we barely see - relative to Ethan, that is - and I love how smart he is. He's stacked the cards majorly in his favor, and this gives Ethan an interesting and difficult problem to solve that should keep you on your toes throughout. Also, can I just say that I appreciate the intelligence of both Ethan and the terrorist? Both characters are obviously smart and have creative ways of creating problems for the other while systematically and progressively solving their own in ways that keep this movie's pacing largely meticulous and careful in some really satisfying and suspenseful ways. The movie even features a pretty cool use of setup and payoff that impressed me and just put the cherry on top of the first two acts of this movie.

Ultimately, Netflix will be Netflix, and though I don't love how this movie eventually abandons its excellent and excellently staged premise in favor of a more typical action movie, Carry-On is a unique and well-plotted thriller that is at its best when it's sticking to its own unique bag-based situation, and at its worst when it eventually tries to act like every other action thriller out there. The suspense is phenomenal, while the action, though reasonably well-staged, is familiar. But even if the weaker parts of the movie are back-loaded, I can't discount the fact that Carry-On has some obviously intelligent minds behind its writing, nor can I dismiss the fact that it's largely a really good movie, albeit one with some annoying tendencies. The battle of wits between Ethan and the mysterious villain is delicate and meticulous. The acting is largely fine, the action acceptably competent, but the suspense, uncertainty, and dilemna sublime. This movie is a new and more intense take on the age-old trolly problem, and honestly, I'm all for that approach. Carry-On plays like a really good student film, and that's not a complaint in the slightest. What I mean by that is that Netflix doesn't deserve this kind of economizing in a movie. Suspenseful situations with terrorists in an airport are nothing new to the world of cinema, but the focus of this movie is more personal than I expected and used to good effect. And even if this movie might not completely escape the less-desirable tropes of its genre or the limitations of its provider, I appreciate the obvious skill of the writers behind its making.

One more thing before I'm done: I appreciate that the director, editor, and whatever committee Netflix placed over this movie's production had enough self-control and self-awareness to not feature a needle-drop of Carry On My Wayward Son. Thank you, Netflix.

Carry-On - 8/10

James 1:12