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The Carrier
Movie

The Carrier

2015 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

England has been overrun by a pandemic with no apparent cure. As the infection continues to spread, safety - for a lucky few - looms in the form of a damaged 747 set to seek solace abroad. It's only once the plane is airborne that the survivors discover the infection made it onto the flight with them.

Overall Series Review

The Carrier (2015) is a low-budget British sci-fi thriller set almost entirely on a damaged 747 flying over a plague-ravaged England. The narrative is a contained pressure-cooker drama focused on the struggle for survival among a handful of stock characters after they discover the deadly infection is onboard. The plot centers on the conflict between those who advocate for pragmatic, ruthless measures to ensure survival and those who hold onto a sense of human morality, rather than any systemic or ideological lecture. The film's primary focus is on generating tension from its single setting and simple human conflict, leaving little room for complex political or cultural commentary.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3/10

The movie uses a mixed-race cast, but the conflict is purely about survival and pragmatism versus sentiment, not race or intersectional identity. The central antagonist, an 'unbalanced asshole' who wants to dispose of the infected, is a white male, which aligns slightly with the trope of vilifying whiteness, but his motive is a generic, anti-sentimental logic common in disaster films. Characters are judged by their actions in a crisis, not their immutable characteristics.

Oikophobia2/10

The setting is a ravaged England, but this is a plot device for the global pandemic, not a critique of Western civilization itself. There is no evidence of ancestors being demonized or home culture being framed as fundamentally corrupt; the survivors are simply seeking a safe haven abroad. The narrative does not feature the 'Noble Savage' trope.

Feminism2/10

The opening sequence features a young mother making a desperate attempt to protect her son and reach her husband, which supports a traditional, family-focused narrative. Female characters are present among the survivors. The core conflict is a test of human nature, not a display of 'Girl Boss' superiority or an anti-natalist message.

LGBTQ+1/10

The plot, which focuses on a small group of survivors dealing with a pandemic on a plane, contains no mention of centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the nuclear family, or lecturing on gender ideology. The one explicitly mentioned family unit is the traditional husband, wife, and child structure.

Anti-Theism3/10

The character breakdown includes a 'religious character,' suggesting faith is a minor element in the human drama. There is no information to suggest that Christianity or religion is the root of evil, or that the film embraces moral relativism as a primary theme; instead, the conflict is between survival instinct and compassion, a form of higher moral law.