Y2K (2024)
Director: Kyle Mooney
Screenwriters: Kyle Mooney, Evan Winter
Starring: Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison, Lachlan Watson, Mason Gooding, Fred Durst, Alicia Silverstone
On the evening of December 31, 1999, much of the world waited anxiously as the calendar flipped into a new millennium. Rather than celebrating a new beginning, many people feared a digital disaster: the so-called Y2K bug. Because older computer systems recorded years with only two digits to save memory, engineers worried those systems would interpret “00” as 1900 instead of 2000, triggering cascading failures across critical infrastructure. Preparations were widespread—governments and businesses spent years patching code and replacing vulnerable systems, and private citizens stocked supplies in case of disaster.
When midnight passed without catastrophe, most breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed Y2K as a near-myth. That calm reflected the work of countless programmers who fixed the problem before it could cause real harm. But Kyle Mooney’s comedy-horror Y2K asks a playful “what if?”: what if the problem wasn’t solved—and what if computers didn’t merely fail, but revolted?
In his directorial debut, Mooney blends raunchy teen comedy with sci-fi horror. The story centers on Eli (Jaeden Martell), a likable but unassuming high schooler who lives comfortably with his parents, Howard (Tim Heidecker) and Robin (Alicia Silverstone). Eli exists in the long shadow of his outgoing best friend Danny (Julian Dennison), a charismatic wild card who pushes Eli to take more risks. On New Year’s Eve, Danny talks Eli into crashing a big house party so Eli can finally kiss his crush, Laura (Rachel Zegler): a popular girl with a hidden talent for programming who has recently broken up with her college boyfriend, Jonas (Mason Gooding).
What begins as a conventional coming-of-age setup quickly devolves into chaos when electronics suddenly come to life. Everyday devices mutate into vicious killers: a Tamagotchi rigged to an electric drill, household appliances turned into monstrous assemblages, and even airborne threats that cause planes to fall. The machines corral survivors into the high school with the aim of inserting chips into human brains and enslaving humanity. Laura is crucial—the group’s only hope rests on a kill code she can write to shut down the algorithm animating the machines.
Y2K trades heavily on the tone of late-1990s and early-2000s teen comedies and stoner films. It evokes the irreverence of titles like American Pie and Superbad while also nodding to the competitive teen energy of Bring It On. That said, the film struggles to find a consistent identity. It oscillates between parody and a sincere coming-of-age story without fully committing to either, producing a tone that can feel uneven. Mooney’s background at Saturday Night Live is evident—several sequences play like extended sketch comedy—but those bits are not always stitched together into a satisfying whole.
The screenplay, by Mooney and Evan Winter, revels in crude, profanity-laced humor that will land for some viewers and frustrate others. The movie’s first act lags, burdened by aimless setup and too many throwaway jokes. The pace improves when the electronics begin their assault: the creature effects and creative kills are at once gruesome and darkly comedic, and a particularly chaotic sequence at the house becomes one of the film’s brightest moments. Mooney shows an imaginative flair for staging absurd, violent set pieces that balance shock and silliness.
Where the film falters most is character development. The ensemble cast delivers committed performances, but the script rarely gives them enough to do beyond surface traits. Martell’s Eli has genuine warmth and quiet intelligence, and Martell is at his best in the film’s quieter moments, yet those beats are fleeting. Zegler’s Laura is defined largely by a couple of traits—popularity and programming skill—without deeper motivations. Lachlan Watson’s Ash and other supporting characters are similarly sketched in shorthand, which limits the audience’s emotional investment when the stakes grow dire.
There are bright spots. Mooney’s Garrett, a laid-back video store clerk who channels late-90s authenticity with weed-fueled deadpan laughs, provides genuine charm and earns several of the movie’s funniest lines. The production design and soundtrack choices capture occasional period detail—the AOL dial-up tone and a Limp Bizkit needle-drop add texture—even if the film rarely mines millennial nostalgia with much depth. Alicia Silverstone’s presence is underused; given her iconic status from 1995’s Clueless, a sharper meta angle could have enriched the film’s thematic layers.
Ultimately, Y2K is a mixed bag: inventive in concept and occasionally riotous in execution, but hampered by uneven tone and thin character work. Fans of gross-out comedy and over-the-top practical effects will find things to enjoy, while viewers hoping for a sharper satire or a tighter emotional core may leave disappointed. It’s entertaining in bursts but doesn’t quite join the ranks of the high school comedies it clearly admires.
Score: 9/24
Rating: 1 out of 5.