Carry-On (2024)

Carry-On is the kind of slick, nerve-tight thriller they don’t make often anymore: a contained, clock-ticking pressure cooker set in the fluorescent purgatory of an airport on Christmas Eve, where every beep and glance feels like it could be the one that breaks you. Jaume Collet-Serra stages the mayhem with confident, propulsive clarity, turning mundane security routines into suspenseful set pieces, while Taron Egerton sells the panic and stubborn decency of a man being squeezed from every side. Across from him, Jason Bateman is chillingly calm—weaponizing charm and patience in a way that makes the menace feel personal, not cartoonish. It’s not a deep character study and it does get intense, but if you want a smart, old-school crowd-pleaser that keeps tightening the screws and delivers satisfying action along the way, this one’s an easy boarding call.

Carry-On is clearly aiming for a slick, high-stakes “ordinary guy trapped in an impossible situation” airport thriller with a Christmas Eve ticking-clock hook, and Jaume Collet-Serra knows how to keep things moving. The problem is it leans hard on contrivances and airport fantasy logic, so if plot holes and “that would never happen” moments ruin your suspense, you’ll be rolling your eyes more than gripping the armrest. The characters are sketched in broad strokes and the writing feels familiar, meaning the tension comes more from momentum than from believable choices or smart twists. If you’re happy with a disposable, serviceable ride anchored by committed performances (Egerton sells the panic; Bateman brings a cool menace), you’ll get a few fun stretches—but if you want grounded realism or airtight storytelling, this probably isn’t your flight.