A scene from ‘Carry-On’ Photo Credit: Netflix

If you are one of those die-hard cinema lovers who believe die Hard Is a Christmas movie (along with the first two). home alone flicks), then Netflix’s latest offering might just make it to that coveted list of yours. Jaume Collet-Serra, the mastermind behind some simple but effective nail-biting action thrillers is back and although he’s not teaming up with Liam Neeson this time, he does have an efficient Taron Egerton and a rival Jason Bateman Who are facing him. locked in carry on,

exactly a decade later without stoppingCollet-Serra is back with another aviation thriller. In keep going, A young Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer named Ethan Kopec (Taron Egerton), who has substantial emotional baggage, tries to rise up the ranks at Los Angeles International Airport where his pregnant girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson) Also works. When he finally gets approval from his supervisor, Phil Sarkowski (Dean Norris), to manage the baggage-scanning lane, Ethan is sent on a conveyor belt to hell. A mysterious passenger, with an accomplice to carry out his assassination orders, blackmails Ethan into allowing a specific carry-on luggage to pass through the scanner. Without knowing what the package is and what level of destruction it could bring, Ethan must evade constant surveillance and prevent the parcel from affecting anyone in this cat-and-mouse game.

The title of the film itself is a play on words – in addition to meaning the piece of luggage that the man personally carries inside the flight and what Ethan is expected to do with his work despite the larger turn of events. , doubles that too. This is a simple but effective trick that Collet-Serra employs and that makes the wafer-thin one-liners not only survive, but also soar, which is a testament to skilled screenplay. The film wastes no time in introducing its lead characters and brings us bang into the middle of the action. With some clever exposition, as the story progresses, we learn more about them and the characters get a chance to get to know each other more.

Egerton gives a brilliant performance as a man whose life is thrown into turmoil after answering a phone call. Unlike the indestructible strength of Bruce Willis’s John McClane, Egerton’s Ethan is not a superhero who uses his strength to overcome challenges. Instead, the character begins to employ simple tricks to get the attention of his teammates – such as using his smartwatch to communicate when he loses possession of his phone – and when the odds are stacked against him So he takes it upon himself to save the day. ,

A scene from ‘Carry-On’ Photo Credit: Netflix

Also there is Elena Cole, an LAPD detective, who connects the double murder to Ethan’s aborted 911 call. But apart from having a high-speed car sequence with the most realistic-looking CG work, very little is added to the parallel tracks other than tying up a few loose ends. It’s Bateman’s unnamed mercenary character who comes as a surprise package (pun intended) and the actor portrays the antagonist with great gentleness, making us only wish to see him in such off-beat roles.

The film has a lot of flaws and the creative liberties taken by the makers seem obvious, but carry on This is not a movie you watch for factual accuracy. In fact, the film is packaged so well that it is only long after the relevant scene has finished that we can contemplate its issues and that in itself is a commendable achievement. After stepping away from directing films like jungle cruise And black adamColette-Serra is back in her element and boy, she thrives in it. carry on It will definitely remind its audience of the goofy actioners of the 90s that worked solely thanks to their popcorn entertainment value and while it may not make you go ‘yippee-ki-yay’, it Will definitely leave you on cloud nine.

Carry-On is currently streaming on Netflix