Nerdly » ‘Y2K’ Review

30th Dec2024

‘Y2K’ Review

by Jim Morazzini

Stars: Jaeden Martell, Tim Heidecker, Alicia Silverstone, Julian Dennison, Rachel Zegler, Fred Durst, Kyle Mooney | Written by Evan Winter | Directed by Kyle Mooney

At the end of 1999 humanity faced the first major crisis of the computer era, the Y2K Bug. For those lucky enough to be too young to remember, it was feared the fact most programs hard coded the “19” and only stored the last two digits of a year in memory would cause them to think the year 2000 was actually 1900 and plunge the world into chaos.

While there were some problems, it ended up being considerably less than the end of the world as we know it. The biggest problem I had to deal with was my copy of WWE 2K20 crashing until I could download and installed a patch. The characters in Saturday Night Live regular turned first-time director Kyle Mooney and co-writer Evan Winter’s alternate history film Y2K won’t be as lucky.

The film actually references it in the first few minutes when Eli’s (Jaeden Martell; It, Knives Out) father (Tim Heidecker; Fantastic Four, What We Do in the Shadows) mentions “that computer virus thing” to his mother played by 90s favourite Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, The Requin).

But that’s the last thing on his mind as he and best friend Danny (Julian Dennison; Godzilla vs. Kong, Deadpool 2) try to find something to do on New Year’s Eve, despite the fact they’re social outcasts. When Eli finds out his crush, the oh-so-popular Laura (Rachel Zegler; The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Snow White), just dumped her boyfriend, they decide to crash the party she’ll be at in a desperate attempt to ask her out.

Now if this sounds more like a John Hughes film, I know he was big in the 80s not the 90s, than a horror film you’re right. The first half hour of Y2K is a teen comedy and one that will appeal the most to those who remember things like AOL, dial-up internet, burning CDs and Limp Bizkit whose frontman Fred Durst (Population 436, I Saw the TV Glow) makes an appearance as well.

But once the clock strikes midnight, that changes. Rather than a massive net crash, Mooney and Winter give us something closer to Maximum Overdrive as not just computers but dishwashers, toys and everything else becomes sentient and homicidal. What’s worse, worse, they can somehow piece themselves together like a malevolent Voltron into even more lethal killing machines.

Somehow, our not-so-dynamic duo and the few other survivors are going to have to stop this robotic rebellion. But it’s not as hopeless as it seems, it turns out Laura isn’t just a pretty face, she’s a skilled hacker as well.

Now, this is all about as improbable as it gets, we’re talking on a level with Werewolves’ furry apocalypse, but it is pretty amusing as it references everything from Hardware and Dark Angel/I Come in Peace to The Matrix to Independence Day as familiar 90s tunes like Break Stuff, Tubthumping, Freak on a Leash and even Flagpole Sitta, play in the background.

Y2K does have some serious, and even touching moments mixed in among the mayhem and nostalgia. The cast, which also includes director Mooney in a supporting role as a stoner video store owner, play it seriously enough to make it all work without becoming too serious and ruining the fun. And somebody please give Fred Durst more roles, I’d much rather watch him act than listen to him sing.

The film also benefits from the presence of cinematographer Bill Pope, whose credits include 90s favourites like Clueless and The Matrix trilogy, as well as more recent fare like The Kid Who Would Be King and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He gives the film a look that captures the spirit of films from the time.

In the end, Y2K is an enjoyable hour and a half. It’s not a film that will necessarily stick with you, but it is fun while it lasts.