Is Carry On A Good Movie? Thrilling But Flawed

Having topped the Netflix Top 10 movies for an impressive 21 days, it may seem unnecessary to ask, Is Carry On a good movie?

Despite its popularity, Carry On has its flaws.

Carry On is a 2024 action thriller with a very simple plot: stop the bomb from getting on the plane and barbecuing passengers 30,000 feet above the ground.

Taron Egerton plays a TSA agent with a pregnant girlfriend and a stagnant career. On the one day that he becomes motivated enough to step outside of the comfort of marinating in the mediocrity of his life, he gets a call from an unusually calm stranger.

This stranger, through threats and blackmail, tries to convince Egerton’s character to allow luggage containing a lethal, illegal bomb onto a specific flight that powerful political figures would soon be boarding. 

What follows next is a storm of adrenaline rushing through his veins, a murderous brawl with the villainous stranger, and a heart-pounding climax that is clever and exciting although not nearly as exhilarating as Die Hard’s John Mclane’s antics. 

Let’s just say the climax excites you but it doesn’t quite make you grind your teeth and punch the air with pure vindictive rage like the Die Hard movies do.

Carry On Movie Review | Is Carry On A Good Movie?

Carry On Movie Cast: Poor Choices

The Academy Award for Best Miscasting in a Motion Picture Goes to… 

Taron Egerton looks incredibly handsome in the movie with his cute, heart-melting smile, and his strong jawline, but he just doesn’t fit the classic trope necessary for a film like this. 

He doesn’t fit the rugged, masculine, brooding, and authoritative yet instantly charming kind of actor required for a movie like this. 

He seems a little too boyish and beautiful for this gritty role. 

Taron’s performance in Carry On could best be described as a faulty gun that hits the target occasionally during its spree of misfires. His acting felt incredibly put-on and barely immersive.

Jason Bateman as the evil, grave-yet-calmly-toned blackmailer who could ensnare you with his menacing presence failed terribly.

His amiable, charming, and likable demeanor makes him look like a jet-lagged nice guy who is on his way to fight with the cashier, not some murderous mastermind who can intimidate you to kill hundreds of people trapped in the sky. 

Jason’s relaxed and charming grin makes him look like someone you’d love watching Breaking Bad with, not the sadistic, evil entity that he tried to portray in Carry On. He was a terrible miscast in the movie.

Carry On Movie Unrealistic Scene

How Much Creative Liberty is Too Much… 

There’s one unbelievable scene in Carry On where Taron’s character and an accomplice diffuse the bomb, hide a bleeding body, and restore the room to pristine condition within seconds before a suspicious officer is finally able to bust the door down. 

That’s nowhere close to realistic.

It looks extremely stupid and feels like an insult to the viewer’s intelligence.

Even Barry Allen (The Flash) could not do all this stuff in such a short period of time. The creative liberty taken in that scene doesn’t feel like movie magic, it feels like actual magic. 

Simply put, even Harry Potter’s fantastical world consisting of hippogriffs, dragons, and goblins is more believable than some scenarios shown in Carry On.

Carry On Movie: Good Choices

What Makes Carry On Soar Like An Eagle…

In the cinematic world of movies like Sharknado, Snakes on a Plane, and Anaconda, Carry On looks like an absolute masterpiece that deserves a special spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

There might be some flaws in Carry On but it’s entertaining enough to ascend to the “so bad that it’s good” category of movies. 

The performances of Sofia Carson, Theo Rossi, and Danielle Deadwyler brought some gravity to the movie and added a sense of cinematic dread, making you wonder what’s going to happen next. 

The stealthy weapons and combat moves in the movie look really cool and remind you of the Hitman video games.

Sofia Carson bought a genuine, feminine warmth and vulnerability whenever she appeared in the frame. Her vampire-like gorgeous, self-assured, and overpowering screen presence glues you to the screen. Sofia’s dialogue delivery felt way more convincing than Taron Egerton and most others.

Theo Rossi played the convenient role of a hacker who is also a sniper but still made it look eerily convincing. 

His portrayal of the bulging-eyed, creepily smiling, devoid-of-any-warmth, and proudly sadistic killer in Carry On makes your heart pound and creates a suffocating sense of horror that feels unsettling. 

You may feel like going to the market and buying pepper spray after watching Theo’s incredible acting performance.

Danielle Deadwyler plays the role of a police officer and delivers the best and most convincing acting performance out of all actors in Carry On. 

She holds an immaculate air of authority that makes you feel like you’re dealing with a staunch and dominating law officer who doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit’. 

Danielle’s performance was so convincing that if her character asked you to help find her lost Unicorn, you honestly would start looking for the single-horned majestic creature. 

She’s that good and believable in the movie.

In Conclusion…

Despite its lack of great acting performances, appropriately unsettling music, and enjoyable cinematography, Carry On still makes you feel glad that you skipped rewatching one of your favorite sitcoms for the 10th time and instead, tried something new. 

Carry On is exhilarating in small and surprising portions, just like that shy friend who, every once in a while, says something so remarkably hilarious in front of girls that you start looking at him in a whole new different light. 

Overall, you’re going to have a lot of fun while watching Carry On but only under one condition – you cannot watch Die Hard within the same week.

Rating: 6/10

What do you think? Is Carry On a good movie? Let me know in the comments below!

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Peace, love, and lots of popcorn,

IMO