Netflix’s new holiday thriller movie was released less than a week ago, but it quickly rose to the top of the streamer’s most popular movies and is sitting comfortably at #1 right now. Carry-On follows Ethan (Taron Egerton), a low-ranking TSA agent who is blackmailed by a mysterious traveler (Jason Bateman) to sneak a dangerous package through security on Christmas Eve.
A battle of will and wit ensues as the traveler gives terrifying instructions to Ethan through an earpiece, and Ethan attempts to thwart the security breach using increasingly desperate measures.
Sofia Carson, Dean Norris, Theo Rossi, and Danielle Deadwyler appear in supporting roles.
LA residents will immediately recognize the setting of the opening shot, which flies right over the Santa Monica Pier with its glowing Ferris wheel and Christmas tree. There’s also an early glimpse of the unmistakable “LAX” sign as several characters make their way into the airport.
Despite these establishing shots, however, the bulk of the movie was not actually filmed at LAX. Director Jaume Collet-Serra filmed the action at a decommissioned terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), which the production crew transformed to resemble LAX.
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“We were incredibly fortunate to use a retired airport as our set,” Collet-Serra told Netflix. “…It was such a thrill to have the whole space at our disposal and be able to explore all these areas of an airport that we don’t normally get to see as passengers.”
The exciting film has multiple over-the-top, dramatic moments, but Collet-Serra shared that they also had two LAX TSA advisers on board to get the details right.
Carry-On has been drawing some comparisons to Die Hard, another action movie famously set at Christmastime. The two movies are similar in that the holiday isn’t exactly a driving factor in the action, but rather a background component that offers a charming contrast to the gritty sequences. Die Hard has solidified itself as an alternative Christmas movie in the minds of many film buffs — in fact, most LA theaters have it on their screening schedule leading up to the holiday.
Will Carry-On earn a similar reputation as this generation’s Die Hard? Time will tell… but you can watch it now on Netflix and decide for yourself.