Y2K (2024)

​“Y2K” stars Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison, Lachlan Watson, Mason Gooding, Fred Durst, and Alicia Silverstone.  Released on December 6, 2024, the film has a group of teens surviving against a technological apocalypse.

The film featured the directorial debut of Kyle Mooney, a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" known for co-writing "Brigsby Bear".  Humanity has faced many conspiracies that make us question our future, but they become distant memories once they are behind us.  At first, we thought these conspiracies would become a frightening reality, most involving the end of the world, notably the 2012 phenomenon.  But when they arrived, they turned out to be nothing but publicity stunts to get people all riled up for nothing.  One of the more memorable events we often remember was the "year 2000 problem", or "Y2K" for short, in which people were concerned about the global catastrophe caused by potential computer errors due to this particular "bug".  Thankfully, everything turned out okay when we reached the new millennium, and technology has continued to grow ever since.  Although, they're still not without some issues.  However, it left me pondering what the world would look like if the Y2K scare became a reality.  This latest comedy on the first weekend of December gave us this answer, showcasing an alternate history where this "bug" actually caused technology to act like Terminators.  That's one way to celebrate the holidays: with a technology apocalypse.  Is it as wild as the conspiracy it's based on, or are we better off unplugging our appliances?  Let's find out. 

The story follows Eli (Martell) and Danny (Dennison), two loser friends struggling to fit in with the cool kids.  They eventually discover that a high school party is happening to commemorate New Year's Eve 1999 and that Eli's crush, Laura (Zegler), is attending.  Eli and Danny sneak into the party, hoping to make names for themselves, but they don't realize that that's the least of their problems.  During the party, the attendees discover that the "Y2K" phenomenon is real, as a bug causes all the technology to go haywire and turn against humanity.  As the world becomes plagued by a technological uprising, the remaining survivors, including Eli and Laura, must unite to end technology's rule.

It's no mystery that the post-Thanksgiving weekend offered plenty of smaller options to ease our holiday hangover, especially ones that would've gone straight to streaming.  However, that didn't mean there weren't some interesting ones that may be worth checking out.  "Y2K" just happened to be that occasion, at least in my eyes.  I didn't remember much about the Y2K phenomenon since I was around six years old during that time, mainly because I didn't pay as much attention to the world around me as I did with movies.  That is until I was old enough to research that part of the internet.  All I could say about it was that I was glad this error didn't cause the end of the world upon reaching the new century.  However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in knowing what could've been if it did cause the technological apocalypse.  This is where "Y2K" comes in, as its combination of young talents and disaster comedy elements seeks to deliver a diverting piece of counter-programming until Mufasa and Sonic devour the Christmas competition.

Regarding its concept, "Y2K" has a similar approach to Roland Emmerich's "2012".  Both films offered a what-if scenario in which these end-of-the-world theories actually became terrifying realities.  "Y2K" has the Y2K scare involving computer errors, while "2012" was based on the cataclysmic events surrounding the end date of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar.  The only difference between the two was the tone, with "Y2K" representing the comical and outlandish perspective of the apocalyptic phenomenon.  Of course, the outlandish part was one of the reasons I checked the movie out, with the other being its young cast.  To its credit, "Y2K" lived up to its reputation by bringing this bizarre premise to life, especially the "technology killing humans" aspect and the late-90s nostalgia.  Sadly, the moments in between were where the connection started to glitch out for me.

With the plot being a more humorously frightening approach to the Y2K phenomenon, this film could've been a surprise hit in the disaster comedy catalog, with enough wit and entertainment to reflect humanity's progression to the next millennium.  Instead, it became another example of a seemingly fun concept disconnected by its underwhelming execution.  Don't get me wrong.  This film had a couple of merits onscreen that carried itself through its 90-minute runtime.  However, regarding everything else accompanying those merits, "Y2K" is a straightforward and uneven slog that's as frustrating as someone using the phone while you're on the internet.  I've been down that path, and trust me.  I don't want to relive that experience ever again.

Kyle Mooney had a lot of shoes to fill regarding his directorial debut.  Even though I haven't noticed the comedian often, I can tell that he's been making a small presence in the industry, whether by movies or television.  With his involvement in "Saturday Night Live" being one of the highlights, he did have a shot at doing something special with his vision.  Unfortunately, this wasn't the case here.  Mooney did deserve a few points for making the concept functional with its small budget, especially regarding its practical effects and representation of late-90s technology.  It's not too over-bloated to the point of being a chaotic CGI mess, and it's not too cheap-looking.  It had a passable balance of how it looked budget-wise.  However, when it comes to the tone and entertainment values, it's apparent that Mooney had a lot to learn from a creative standpoint.  When the robots start attacking the characters during the party sequence, Mooney had the potential to sustain that level of insanity and outlandish violence for the rest of the runtime.  Sadly, that momentum immediately disconnected itself as he struggled to find the proper balance of parodic humor and teen drama in its tone, leaving me with a bland, predictable, and messy experience surrounded by its conventionality.

Mooney's screenplay, which he co-wrote with Evan Winter, also had a few bugs in the system, as it favors retracing familiar steps rather than providing something exciting and humorous to those elements.  One of them was the protagonist, Eli, whose awkwardness usually prevented him from being with Laura, the girl of his dreams, until the Y2K phenomenon helped him find the courage to do so.  In a way, it's what you'd expect from a teenage romance amidst the apocalypse and messages involving humanity vs. technology, but without the charm, depth, and memorable wit to accompany it.  As I said, Mooney should receive credit for making the concept work with a smaller budget, but it's not without the limitations disrupting the creative and entertainment connections.  The party sequence and late '90s digital aesthetics were the only highlights that warranted Mooney's vision.  Sadly, his direction and script were missing the technological core needed to make the rest of the movie as bonkers as those moments.

Fortunately for me, the young cast made the most of their acting capabilities to carry the story through its technology apocalypse.  Jaeden Martell has recently been starring in some mature projects following his breakthrough performance as Bill Denbrough in the "It" films, and so far, he's been effectively expressing his acting talents for most of them.  "Y2K" has Martell front and center again as he portrays the shy and awkward teen protagonist stuck in the middle of a robot uprising.  While it's far from his best performance, Martell's ability to inject interest into a formulaic character showcased his potential to become another rising star of this decade.  The same should be said for Rachel Zegler, whose respectable performance as Laura suitably reflects her acting talents despite the hate she's getting recently regarding the upcoming live-action "Snow White" remake.  I would also credit Julian Dennison for trying to deliver some diverting moments as Danny, Eli's friend, despite only appearing in the first act.  Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit also made an appearance in "Y2K", and all I could say about him is that fans of Limp Bizkit will appreciate his company.

Overall, "Y2K" has too many bugs in its system to function as a tonal blend of apocalyptic shenanigans and dark comedy.  It's certainly not without its subtly amusing moments involving the young cast, and the practical effects worked wonders for its small budget, especially the robots.  Unfortunately, they're not enough to charge up Kyle Mooney's disappointingly uneven directorial debut, failing to push enough limits to make its concept absurdly fun and surprisingly outlandish.  Regarding its formulaic screenplay, conventionally dull direction, and forgettable humor, this latest addition to the cinematic "end-of-days" catalog is better left unplugged.  If you're interested in watching it because of the cast and concept, I recommend waiting until it hits digital.  Otherwise, you're better off having a no-tech day instead.

D