Y2K (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – Two high school nobodies make the decision to crash the last major celebration before the new millennium on New Year’s Eve 1999. The night becomes even crazier than they could have ever dreamed when the clock strikes midnight.

My Take – Though indie producers A24 have made a name for themselves by backing several offbeat projects over the years, however their latest, which marks the directorial debut of former SNL cast member Kyle Mooney, who co-wrote the script with Evan Winter, has to be their strangest release yet.

A nostalgia-filled alternate reality horror comedy following a group of teenagers who while navigating the final night of 1999 find out that the much hyped Y2K bug is real, and see technology worldwide come to life and turn against humanity.

Backed by the formula of popular teen comedies like ‘Superbad‘, to make his narrative work, director Mooney puts all his efforts in creating an atmosphere and setting that offers some fun vibes of a disaster comedy. Sadly, his story falls apart halfway through and fails to deliver on its full potential.

Relying hard on one’s knowledge and memories of 1999/2000 trends in music, and low-budget horror films to carry the humor, the narrative is simply too oddly paced and set to work fully.

Sure, it is somewhat funny with some laugh-out-loud moments and makes for an interesting exploration of millennial fears, flipping the narrative from technology failing to technology turning against humanity. It encapsulates the anxieties and optimism of the time, offering a nostalgic yet chaotic experience that is made up of occasional lack of focus and inconsistencies.

Nevertheless, despite its deficiencies, and mainly due to its nostalgic appeal, the uneven film is not hard to picture as developing an affectionate cult in the future.

Set on December 31, 1999, the story follows two nerdy high schoolers, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), who plan to spend New Year’s Eve like any other day—listening to Y2K playlists burned onto CDs and waiting for slow-loading internet porn. But their mundane evening takes a turn when they run into Eli’s crush, Laura (Rachel Zegler), and her popular friends stealing booze for the big NYE party.

Peer pressure and teenage bravado lead the boys to crack open Eli’s parents’ liquor cabinet for their first-ever shots before heading to the party. Luckily for them, the boys quickly make an impression when Eli rescues the party from a music failure by playing his Y2K-themed CD. But while Eli awkwardly dances in the corner, Danny unexpectedly shines, becoming the life of the party, singing and dancing to the cheers of the crowd.

However, things sour for Eli when he finally approaches Laura, only to be humiliated by Chris (The Kid Laroi), Laura’s boyfriend and the party’s host. Adding insult to injury, Danny betrays their friendship by spilling Eli’s embarrassing secrets for laughs and validation. As tensions rise, midnight arrives—and chaos erupts.

Danny scores a surprise New Year’s kiss while Eli watches, crushed, as Laura shares hers with Chris. Then the real madness begins: at the stroke of midnight, a power outage sparks mayhem as electronics come to life and violently start attacking everyone. Forcing the survivors to go looking for a way to turn the machines off.

Simply told, the film begins like Superbad (2007), and then slowly becomes a Shaun of the Dead (2004) situation. The party setting provides some exciting carnage, though the script makes some questionable decisions that leave certain characters feeling underdeveloped.

Additionally, the film’s practical effects and detailed set design are impressive, clearly a labor of love for director Kyle Mooney.

The film does a great job of capturing the look and feel of the late 90s digital world with great attention to the details from the pixelated computer desktops and AOL’s classic dial-up connections to the portrayal of early internet culture. These elements ground the film in its era and serve as a reminder of how far technology has come since then.

However, the film struggles with tonal consistency. While it’s not unusual for films to balance humor with darker elements, the film often stumbles in its execution, leaving some scenes feeling jarring.

Also, while the killer robots are a fun concept, their rapid rise and capabilities strain credibility, especially since the killer virus also infected electronics without WiFi and without the capacity to process data at any significant. The film doesn’t explain how these machines suddenly gain the tools and intelligence to build themselves up like they do in a matter of minutes, making this aspect of the film feel rushed and implausible.

Nevertheless, the performances are solid across the board. Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison generate a sweet, unforced rapport, while Rachel Zegler strikes the right balance of romantic intrigue and wary reserve. Fred Durst, the Limp Bizkit front-man also makes an unexpected, but surprisingly satisfying, appearance in the film as himself.

Alicia Silverstone is good in her brief role as Eli’s mom, so are Mason Gooding, Lachlan Watson, Daniel Zolghadri, and Tim Heidecker. Mooney also appears himself as an ebullient stoner and manages to be delightful. On the whole, ‘Y2K‘ is an uneven horror comedy that ends up being less than the sum of its parts.