Netflix critics praise ‘Die Hard’-inspired thriller ’10/10′, calling it ‘best Christmas movie of the year’

Just in time for Christmas, a new Netflix film inspired by “Die Hard” has arrived on the platform and the critics are loving it.

Carry-On is a new 10/10 thriller from The Shallows director Jaume Collet-Serra starring Taron Egerton, 35, and Jason Bateman, 55.

In the film, Taron plays a Transportation Security Agent (TSA) who is blackmailed by Jason’s character into smuggling dangerous items aboard a flight on Christmas Eve.

Written by TJ Fixman, the film was originally planned as an initial release under Netflix’s deal with Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin, but was delayed due to script rewrites.

Carry-On also stars Sofia Carson, 31, Danielle Deadwyler, 42, and Logan Marshall-Green, 48, and has already received strong reviews from critics.

In his review of The Wrap, William Bibbiani said, “There are about two minutes in it that are as exciting as any action movie this year, and about 100 minutes that are pretty fun too.”

Just in time for Christmas, a new Netflix film inspired by “Die Hard” has appeared on the platform and the critics are enthusiastic (pictured: Taron Egerton).

Carry-On is a new 10/10 thriller from The Shallows director Jaume Collet-Serra starring Taron Egerton, 35, and Jason Bateman, 55 (pictured: Jason Bateman).

Pramit Chatterjee wrote in Digital Media Talkies: “Carry-On is the best Christmas movie of the year.”

Meanwhile, The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager added: “This breakneck Netflix offering confirms the continued vitality of the chosen formula – while proving to be an unexpected and welcome holiday streaming gift.”

Speaking to the BBC, Collet said the Bruce Willis classic inspired the film, adding: “Everyone wants to make the next Die Hard and the reality is no one ever will – it’s a perfect film , which cannot be reproduced, and ‘also a very specific product of its time.’

“But when I read the script for Carry-On, I felt like I had found a more grounded version of Die Hard – which was our North Star throughout the entire process – for a new generation.”

There has been a lot of debate over the years about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

And in 2020, 73-year-old director John McTiernan addressed the debate in a video for the American Film Institute.

He mentioned that he took inspiration for the film from the moment in Frank Capra’s Christmas classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” when Bedford Falls becomes Pottersville.

He said: “We didn’t intend for it to be a Christmas film, but the joy that came from it made it a Christmas film.”

In the film, Taron plays a Transportation Security Agent (TSA) who is blackmailed by Jason’s character into smuggling dangerous items aboard a flight on Christmas Eve

Carry-On also stars Sofia Carson, 31, (pictured), Danielle Deadwyler, 42, and Logan Marshall-Green, 48, and has already received strong reviews from critics

It’s been quite a busy year for Netflix, as it was recently revealed that two British Netflix series were among the top ten most searched terms in the UK in 2024.

One series is Fool Me Once, a thriller adapted by Danny Brocklehurst from Harlan Coben’s 2016 novel of the same name.

The star-studded cast includes Michelle Keegan (37), Adeel Akhtar (44), Dino Fetscher (36), Richard Armitage (53) and Joanna Lumley (78).

The series premiered in January and has been Netflix’s seventh most-watched English series to date as of March 31.

Another popular series now is Baby Reindeeer, a drama about a struggling comedian who shows a kind gesture to a vulnerable woman. However, it triggers a crushing obsession that threatens to ruin both of their lives.

The miniseries was released on Netflix in April and has won six Primetime Emmy Awards since its release.

“Fool Me Once” came second in the top ten most searched terms in the UK, while “Baby Reindeer” came out on top at number one.

Within its first week, Fool Me Once, starring Coronation Street’s Michelle, was watched by over 37.1 million Netflix accounts with over 238 million hours watched, one of Netflix’s biggest debuts.

All eight episodes appeared in the BARB Top 50 most-watched shows of the week, with the opening episode attracting 6.34 million viewers.

And during the National Television Awards, Michelle was nominated for the Drama Performance category while the show was nominated for the New Drama category.

The series follows Maya (Michelle), a mother trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of her husband Joe.

However, she is quite shocked when she sees her husband on the new nanny camera she installed to keep an eye on their daughter.

It’s been quite a busy year for Netflix, as it was recently revealed that two British Netflix series were among the top ten most searched terms in the UK in 2024 (Michelle Keegan pictured in ‘Fool Me Once’).

‘Fool Me Once’ came in at number two in the top ten most searched terms in the UK, while ‘Baby Reindeer’ came in at number one (Richard and Jessica Gunning pictured).

Meanwhile, “Baby Reindeer,” created by Richard Gadd, 35, debuted in early April at number five on Netflix’s 10 English-language TV titles with 10.4 million hours viewed.

The following week, the series climbed to number one with 52.8 million viewing hours.

The series received critical acclaim on review website Rotten Tomatoes, with 98% of 58 critics giving the series a positive review.

The series follows Donny’s twisted relationship with a stalker named Martha and the impact it has on him, as he is ultimately forced to confront deep, dark, buried trauma.

The show, directed by Weronika Tofilska (39) and Josephine Bornebusch (43), features a star-studded cast, including Jessica Gunning (38), Nina Sosanya (55) and Nava Mau (32).