Y2K: A Nostalgic Disaster Comedy With a Few Bugs of Its Own

A group of teens must battle to save society from a technological glitch that transforms their electronics into murderous robots. Directed and co-written by former Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney, Y2K is a blast of millennial nostalgia and a humorous take on our expectations for the turn of the millennium, even with a few weak moments.

Nerdy Eli (Jaeden Martell) and his best friend Danny (Julian Dennison) decide to make New Year’s Eve 1999 unforgettable by crashing a party at the house of a popular student. Eli also hopes to score a midnight kiss from his crush, Laura (Rachel Zegler), but he’s been too shy to make a move.

However, as the clock strikes midnight and the year 2000 arrives, the party takes a terrifying turn when all the electronics begin to wreak havoc. Realizing a millennium bug is to blame, a mismatched bunch joins forces to put an end to the tech virus.

If you were around for the real Y2K, you know all about the hype that made the excitement for a new year turn to dread as we awaited a potential computer virus. That eventual disappointment weighed on Mooney and inspired him to reach out to co-writer Evan Winter to develop a fantastical version of what could have been.

That result is a tightly wound 90-minute disaster comedy aptly titled Y2K. The film has a lot of great aspects that make it an entertaining watch, especially for any of the millennials out there. Mooney and Winter deliver the laughs with a witty script filled with impeccable references, and those who get it will love it.

It perfectly captures that aesthetic of the late 90s. From costuming and set design to the music choices, every element reflects that era. I also enjoyed how that extended to the technical aspects, particularly how Mooney aimed to keep the practical effects aligned with what was capable in 1999. Even with the development of the robots, they maintained a tangible and chaotically crafted look, clearly appearing like men in suits. This choice contributes to an authenticity that makes the film feel as if it were produced in that decade.

Aside from that Y2K essence, I thought the script was well done in terms of its comedy. There are one-liners and slapstick jokes, but I think some of the film’s best humor comes from the referential moments and sardonic quips. It does borderline on stoner comedy, but doesn’t overdo it—in case that’s not your thing.

All of which is delivered brilliantly by the cast. Martell perfectly portrays quite an endearing character, which he’s done so well with films like It or this year’s Arcadian. But I also enjoyed the buddy dynamic his character has with Danny, played so wonderfully by Dennison. He’s honestly such a force in the film and a lot of fun to watch.

With all those positives said, I did find some issues with its pacing that dragged down an otherwise solid directorial debut from Mooney.

My biggest frustration with the film is that it hypes up the high school party so much and then it felt rushed through. I craved so much more of that party chaos as things hit the fan. That urgency to get to the next stage of the story unfortunately also led to Dennison being extremely underutilized.

And I know it packs in so much in such a short runtime, but at times it didn’t feel like it fully balances out every progression in the story or location moves. Some moments were just left feeling a touch stilted.

Y2K is certainly a fun teen comedy for those of that generation. The film combines humor and sci-fi for an amusing perspective on a cultural moment, even though it’s quite bonkers at times. With some of its challenges, I did find myself asking if the film could work if it didn’t have the nostalgia to support it, but also, that’s kind of the whole point.