Airport security agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) finds himself being blackmailed on Christmas Eve to let a carry-on case through the security scanner that he is manning. His girlfriend, whom he just discovered is expecting their first child, will die if he does not comply. Can Ethan foil the criminals and save the day?

Carry-On is a very clear and obvious attempt to be the new Die Hard Christmas action movie that everyone talks about. Before I even fall into the mire of discussing whether Die Hard or Carry-On are actually Christmas movies at all, let us swiftly move on to the similarities in plotlines. First of all Carry-On is probably much more Die Hard 2 than Die Hard. Set inside an airport with our everyman hero dashing around restricted areas and even the occasional plane to try and prevent a terrorist attack that will kill many. Where it fits more into the Die Hard mould is that our hero Ethan spends a lot of the film in a dialogue with our villain named simply “Traveller” played by Jason Bateman. Whilst Egerton and Bateman are not quite Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman levels of fun the film is probably at its best when Bateman is talking to him through the earpiece they surreptitiously use to communicate. Where it is not Die Hard at all though is in its general lack of set pieces or explosions. This is more of a cat and mouse thriller than a real action movie.

But… Carry-On is dull. It is mundane. It is ordinary.

Taron Egerton should be better than this. But actually looking at his credits list he has only really impressed in the biopics “Eddie The Eagle” and Rocketman after his breakthrough role in “Kingsman: The Secret Service”. His everyman hero has very few likeable features. He followed his girlfriend to this city and the airport job he works in now. He has drifted through life since being turned down at the police academy to do his dream job of being a cop. And now he is doing his best to foil a terrorist attack without getting his girlfriend killed. He is not the wisecracking smartass that Bruce Willis delivers as John McClane. Perhaps this is more of an issue with T. J. Fixman’s script than Egerton, but Ethan Kopek is still a dull hero.

Jason Bateman on the other hand is rather good. Not Alan Rickman good. But still pretty menacing. He is actually best before we see him. As a faceless and rather scary voice in an earpiece. The film is at its absolute best with him in it.

Otherwise the secondary characters are forgettable. Theo Rossi as the key henchman in the evil plot and Sofia Carson as the girlfriend are fine. But they barely make a mark on your psyche as the film unfolds.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra has form in delivering workmanlike films. His most recent efforts being Black Adam and Jungle Cruise. Whilst his films with Liam Neeson will probably set the tone for how much enjoyment you will get here… The Commuter, Run All Night, Non-Stop and Unknown. Clearly Collet-Serra likes mass transit and mediocre action movies.

Another generic Netflix action movie then. Avoid… unless you are stuck in bed with winter flu and need something that requires no thinking.