Carry-Onis beingcalled the newDie Hard, but the Netflix film is more similar to a movie from the 1970s, which it references during its ending. The 2024 action thriller, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by T.J. Fixman,follows Taron Egerton’s Ethan Kopek, a TSA officer who gets blackmailed at LAX on Christmas Eve.After learning his girlfriend, Nora, is pregnant, Ethan aims to get a promotion. His boss gives him a test run by assigning him to manage a baggage-scanning lane, which, unfortunately, results in Ethan getting mixed up in a terrorist plot.
According toDeadline,Carry-Onamassed 97 million views in its first ten days on Netflix, making it the biggest movie launch of 2024 for the streaming service and putting it on track to break into Netflix’s top ten films of all time.
The success ofthe villains' plans inCarry-Onis dependent on Ethan letting a suspicious carry-on suitcase pass through security without raising any alarms. Later, Egerton’s character learns that the bag containsa nerve agent weapon called Novichok. Ethan then does everything in his power to stop the suitcase from getting on a plane, killing everyone inside, while also protecting Nora. For his last-ditch effort,at the end ofCarry-On, Ethan gets on the plane himself to diffuse the weapon,and that is when the clever callback to an iconic disaster film from the 1970s happens.
Carry-On’s “Trans Global Airlines” Is A Reference To Airport 1970
The Airline Is A Fake One In Airport
Towardsthe end ofCarry-On, Ethan and Nora discover thatthe bag containing Novichok is targeting Trans Global 0610,a flight headed for Washington, D.C. Many would look over this detail and instead focus on the high-stakes action happening on the screen. However, those paying close attention and who have watched the 1970 disaster drama filmAirportmight recognize the airline, seeing as it’s the fake one used in the 54-year-old movie.
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Lionel Williams
Airportfollows Burt Lancaster as Mel Bakersfeld, the manager of a fictional airport in Chicago who is trying to keep operations smooth during a snowstorm and stop a suicide bomber from blowing up a plane mid-flight. The flight’s airline is Trans Global, just like the one inthe movieCarry-On.Netflix’s 2024 action thriller is undoubtedly referencingAirportby name-dropping the airline(and by presenting a similar frightening situation — a weapon onboard a flight).
Carry-On’s Divided Rotten Tomatoes Scores Explained: Why It’s Fresh With Critics But Rotten With Audiences
Netflix’s new action thriller movie Carry-On has been compared to Die Hard, but the film has been divisive between critics and audiences.
How Airport 1970 Changed The Disaster Film Genre
Airport Has Inspired Many Other Flight-Based Disaster Movies
It makes sense whyCarry-Onfeatures a callback toAirportsince the older film was the blueprint for disaster moviesand influenced many that came after it. The 1970 drama was a massive success at the box office as it grossed over $128 million against a $10 million budget, and it was nominated for and won many awards (including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Helen Hayes). Consequently,Airporthas been a significant inspiration for flight-based disaster films over the last five decades, fromAir Force OnetoCarry-On.
Carry-On
Cast
Carry On is a film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, focusing on a young TSA agent who is coerced by a mysterious traveler into allowing a dangerous package onto a Christmas Eve flight. As events unfold, he must use his wits to resolve the perilous situation.
