“Y2K” (2024) is a coming-of-age horror comedy that envisions what the apocalypse would look like once all the digital clocks switched from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000. Eli (Jaeden Martell) and his Kiwi best friend since seventh grade, Danny (Julian Dennison) decide to go to the party instead of celebrating at home, but New Year’s sounds of jubilation give way to screams when a low-rent machine uprising begins—think more of a science fair, do it yourself robot from “Short Circuit” (1986). Will the kids be alright?
The younger the audience, the better because they have not seen as many movies so just going to the theater to see a high schooler centered drama on the big screen will feel fresh. As the crowd age increases, “Y2K” will spark recall of a lot of movie references and is just uneven enough to make one question whether the hilarious elements outweigh the rest. Just because he likes a girl, Eli is the protagonist that we are supposed to root for even though he is a bit of a blank slate with a penchant for sulking. Even though Martell is a proven solid actor in such films as “St. Vincent” (2014), “Midnight Special” (2016), “It” (2017), “The Lodge” (2019) and “Arcadian” (2024), Eli is too underwritten for Eli to be the most memorable element. His best characteristic is his steadfast faith in the intellectual prowess of his crush, Laura (Rachel Zegler) and his taste in friends.
Julian Dennison is another young actor with an impressive resume, an acting legacy to uphold and a memorable face from “The Hunt for the Wilderpeople” (2016) to this year’s “Uproar” (2024). Danny is an outgoing bon vivant on the verge of outpacing his buddy and is dragging him into a social life if it is the last thing he does. Without spoiling it, he keeps giving an aspirational object to Eli, which takes on “A Prayer for Owen Meany” significance during the denouement, which was cute and unexpected, a nice thread not left dangling.
While Martell and Dennison are clearly the stars, “Y2K” feels more like an eighties teen comedy where the students fall into strict social groups: the stoners, the jocks, the rappers, the grunge alt rock type, the skaters, etc. It is very “The Breakfast Club” (1985) in its goal. The point of the action is to desegregate everyone and get them to appreciate each other, and the big surprise is which characters end up becoming lead supporting actors. The rappers are in the consistent lead with smack talking, older kid, Farkas (Eduardo Franco), his videographer, Ash (Lachlan Watson), and the unconventional CJ (Daniel Zolgrahdri). It feels as if these supporting characters are more well-rounded and thought out than the main characters, who are just basic archetypes. Perhaps a better movie would have flipped the spotlight to focus on the lesser-known crew.
“Y2K” also seemed to drop a storyline more aligned with its “Shaun of the Dead” (2004) lead friendship dynamic meets machines from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991) or “The Matrix” (1999). There is a debate whether all the machines are evil, and an opening screen casting scene is later referenced to suggest that the machine’s server history may influence its personality combined with the influence of human hosts that they feed from. It was a great sci-fi theme that got dropped until it is teased again in a post-credits scene. It was nice that the film offered a peek into the subjective experience of transforming from human being to Borg.
Instead “Y2K” prioritizes pop culture references, which are not blended enough in an organic way but are deliberately put in the forefront and underscored to make sure that every moment is mined. There is even an extended cameo from the lead singer of popular nineties band. Hint: he already appeared in another horror film earlier this year, but not as himself! Alicia Silverstone, who skyrocketed to fame as Cher in “Clueless” (1995) plays Eli’s mom. The cameos do not just come from the nineties, but horror franchises like Mason Gooding who has appeared in two films from the “Scream” franchise and an Australian pop star making his onscreen debut, The Kid Laroi—who?
“Saturday Night Live” alum Kyle Mooney wears three hats in “Y2K”: first-time director, cowriter and supporting actor as Garrett, a stoner who works at the local video store, Video MD. This choice in character feels like a reference to Mooney as a director and a subtle shout out to Quentin Tarantino. His cowriter, Evan Winter, is also taking his first stab at feature films. While “Y2K” is no “Brigsby Bear” (2017), which Mooney also cowrote, it is clever for reimagining a phenomenon that he lived through, which is harder than it sounds. Some reliable visual punchlines are showing a scene in slo-mo to convey the emotional impact of that activity on the character then switching to real time to contrast with reality. Borrowing the circle pan from “That 70s Show” during a pot smoking scene is an homage or rip-off depending on your temperament.
The screen casting technique was stronger than the found footage elements, but because of unfortunate timing, it could remind savvier moviegoers of “Didi” (2024), which is set in 2008, but packs more of emotional wallop than this film. Because the pacing is off, tons of people are dead, but it feels solely played for laughs, which is fair because it is a low budget comedy, and the jokes are funny, but since some beloved characters do get eliminated early in the film, it feels as if some moments should have more impact. This film is mostly afraid of getting too much into the deep end, and sometimes that is what makes a movie memorable. “Brigsby Bear” proves that Mooney has the capacity to imbue his stories with emotional nuance without leaving the laughs out, but it just did not happen this time.
Interestingly, “Y2K” seems to call out guys for undermining women’s confidence, sexualizing them while calling it a joke and reinforcing heteronormativity, which is not usually on the bingo card when the filmmakers are all men. Bravo, gentlemen. While largely a forgettable character, Laura is the popular girl that every guy is fighting over, but she is also a complete nerd who prefers computer programming and maybe humanity’s only hope in stopping the machine apocalypse. Zegler is fine, but it is less of a riveting role than Lucy Gray Baird in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” (2023).
Let’s not forget that “Y2K” is a holiday, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, movie. The denouement is set in the high school gym, which felt like a subtle homage to “Anna and the Apocalypse” (2017). While it is more of a matinee flick, if you do not belong to the target demographic, a crowd who laughs hard will help the older crowd appreciate the film more than if it is watched alone otherwise it may be better not to bother.
