It’s 11pm the night before I have to leave at 6.30am for a flight. I decide to put a movie on the bedroom projector to help me get to sleep a little earlier than usual. I choose a new movie Carry-On because it’s one of those films I’m happy enough to just let dissolve into the background as I sleep.
I stay awake for the full movie because it’s absolutely gripping, yet ludicrious, from start to finish. Here’s the spoiler-free intro to the movie.
What is Carry-On About?
Rather surprisingly, Carry-On is written by T.J. Fixman, the same man from the Ratchet & Clank video game franchise fame. It’s likely causing some confusion in Ireland and the UK given the classic British comedy of the same name.
The story follows a TSA agent, Ethan Kopek, in LAX during the busiest day of the Christmas season. His girlfriend is pregnant and hoping for him to work towards a better career.
He believes this should be him moving into monitoring the scanners at the airport. He gets his chance, but also more than he bargained for as he’s soon contacted by a “fixer” trying to get a suspect package through security, a task he plans to achieve through threatening Ethan and people connected to him.
The story follows the inner turmoil that this places on Ethan as he is torn between saving his loved ones or potentially letting a harmful device through security and the consequences that could follow that.
Is Carry-On Worth Watching?
Absolutely. This film should have been awful. 10 minutes in I was left asking “how do they plan to get another 10 minutes out of this story, let alone a whole movie.”
T.J. Fixman has written a compelling, if not entirely likely or realistic, story that the actors and charachters deliver brilliantly.
There’s one particular high-point of drama where you can sense the reality leaving the movie, but I was totally ok with it.
Carry-On is the modern day Die Hard and it’s totally obvious that’s what the plan was here. Make a movie that sparks a debate about whether or not it’s a Christmas movie. The movie is littered with Christmas songs and borderline tributes to Die Hard itself with Ethan channeling his best John McClane.
After the first hour, once you’re happy to leave reality behind, you’re in for a banger of a enjoyable Christmas movie, good enough to be enjoyed solo or with family. And sure look, what else are you going to be doing over the next few days anyway.
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