After a rough takeoff, Netflix’s new thriller “Carry-On” manages a fairly smooth landing.
Ethan (Taron Egerton) is an underachieving TSA worker who’s just learned that he’s going to be a father. And of all the days to persuade his supervisor to let him conduct baggage scans, it’s when a deadly Russian chemical agent is coming through his line.
Jason Bateman (“Ozark” and “Arrested Development”) is the mysterious smuggler who makes a deal with Ethan: Let the dangerous package pass quietly through security and he won’t kill Ethan’s girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson of “Descendents” fame).
It’s a darned-if-you-do, darned-if-you-don’t situation because Ethan knows if he lets the bag through, hundreds of people on a plane will die instead.
We know all of this because everything is neglectfully spelled out. Bateman’s character monologues way too much of his diabolical plot to Ethan.
From the opening scene, the film is plagued with that sort of artificial dialogue and manufactured performances from what appears to be a miscast bunch. Welsh star Egerton is off the mark early on, and Carson gives an expressionless, monotone performance that feels too self-aware. Plus, it’s hard to take the dry, sarcastic Bateman seriously as he gives his threatening orders while munching on a snack. Nobody feels real.
And for such a powerfully equipped group of terrorists, their plans sure seem loosey-goosey—like one unexpected turn or noncomplying victim could stop the threat from escalating at all.
Whether the luggage gets through security or not, your BS alarm might be going off.
But then, whatever turbulence I felt begins to clear up in the second half. Egerton starts to panic, and he is at his best in vulnerable roles. When Bateman finally shows his face, his acting won me over, and I bought into his menacing character. And Carson, well—she’s there, too.
The pace quickens when Ethan leaves the security checkpoint. It becomes more action packed, more exciting than just people talking and acting in ways they wouldn’t. I was able to look past lazy dialogue and dumb behavior with interest, even enjoying myself by the end.
“Carry-On” is not exactly first-class, but when the credits rolled, I felt like it was worth the trip.
3/5
Scott McDaniel is a department chair and assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids.
