(Credits: Netflix)

The Christmas season calls for movies that are fun and gripping, and with Netflix’s new thriller Carry- On, the streamer offers up an alternative festive experience in the form of Taron Egerton fighting to save the lives of a plane full of passengers while a bomb threat looms.

Carry-On was released on December 13th, viewers have praised the main action sequence that takes place between Egerton’s TSA agent Ethan and Jason Bateman’s villain, the Traveller. It’s a classic action thriller, taking cues from the genre’s peak in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Naturally, viewers are given a happy Hollywood ending as Egerton’s character saves the day on Christmas Eve, resulting in a sense of festive cheer.

However, before we can skip right to the ending, let’s recap how Egerton’s character came to find himself fighting with Bateman’s character. The movie begins at a Christmas tree farm, which sounds festive, but in Carry-On, this is the place where the Traveller meets with mafia members and kills them before taking a mysterious luggage bag which we soon discover is home to a bomb.

At an airport, Ethan, whose girlfriend, Nora, is pregnant, is working as a TSA. However, he soon finds himself caught up in a terrible conundrum after he is given an earpiece that has the Traveller on the other end of it, telling him that if he doesn’t let his bag through security, he’ll kill Nora. Panic ensues, forcing Ethan to act quickly and smartly, testing him like never before.

Talking to TODAY, Egerton explained, “Guy gets an earwig on the busiest day of the year, puts it in his ear and they threaten his girlfriend. It’s such a good set up for a movie.” As plenty of action unfolds in front of our eyes, we can only hope that Ethan will be able to stop the bomb from detonating.

Unfortunately, the Traveller – who is planning on targeting a Congresswoman in Washington – makes it onboard the plane despite Ethan’s best efforts to stop him, resulting in a battle between the two on board the flight. Of course, TSA agents aren’t part of the crew that actually travel with passengers, but Ethan chases after the flight that the Traveller is on so that he can get on and save the day.

“He’s just found out he’s gonna be a dad, and it’s time to wake up and be a grown-up,” explained Egerton. “I think it’s the arrogance of Jason’s character, thinking he’s got it all figured out. The character is totally unflappable, whereas Ethan is extremely flappable.”

Ethan manages to switch off the bomb, but the Traveller isn’t without a fight. In the cargo hold, a fight ensues as Bateman’s character shoots Egerton’s in the leg. While it seems like the Traveller is about to win, Ethan soon proves that he is smarter than viewers might have thought, shoving the villain and the bomb inside a giant fridge, killing him. 

The movie ends with Ethan going on holiday with Nora and their new baby, with safety restored and Ethan safe in the knowledge that he is a hero.