(Credits: Netflix)

The wait for the North Star to beam lasts a whole year, but Christmas? Only 24 hours. Quite unfair, right? Then again, what’s even worse is the post-Christmas blues that don’t take a minute to sink in, leaving us completely unprepared for the void. At times like this, a perfect Netflix pick can actually do wonders. All you’ve got to do is trust.

When the hangover kicks in, and the smell of that lovely Christmas spread fades, watch Carry-On on Netflix – the ultimate adrenaline palate cleanser for the post-festive day.

After weeks of slow-paced holiday films filled with feel-good and lesson-learning, it’s only natural for your brain to crave unfamiliarity. And what better movie than a white-knuckle thriller to distract and devour?

Carry-On may not have been conceived as a post-Christmas movie when it hit the Netflix shelves in 2024. But it very well fits the bill, thanks to its high-stress and high-reward energy, serving as the perfect escape from the festive frustration.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the 2024 action thriller follows a diligent but overlooked young TSA officer, Ethan Kopek, portrayed by Taron Egerton, who’s put in an unprecedented do-or-die situation at LAX on Christmas Eve. While all Ethan really wants is to prove his merit to pass the final exam to become a police officer, his dreams nearly take a backseat when he’s suddenly contacted by a sinister “Traveller” through an earpiece who has a job for him.

The blackmailer has been threatening his pregnant girlfriend, Nora, and forcing Ethan to let a specific bag containing a nerve agent pass through security checks. His failure means the inevitability of mass casualties, and his success means something bidding an early farewell to his dream job. Although Ethan actually signed up for an ordinary Christmas Eve, it eventually becomes a fight for survival for hundreds of thousands.

But with his hands tied and not many options to count on, he must make a choice. If you’re over the sweater weather suggestions that scream warm and fuzzy, take the high-octane flight with Carry-On without a second thought.

Plus, considering the setting of the action-thriller, this will definitely make your travel delays and family arguments feel way more manageable in comparison. Sure, it capitalises on the Christmas backdrop for irony instead of sentiment, but that’s what makes it all the more bingeable on a post-Christmas day. So, whenever you start feeling that festive blow, remember that Carry-On is streaming on Netflix to save a day, maybe yours.