Katelyn Benschoter-

Picture this; New Year’s Eve in 1999, when the world thought everything was going to come to an end when the clock struck midnight. One thing about society is that we love nostalgia, whether it is remembering our youth or being transported to an era that we wish we were a part of. Kyle Mooney’s 2024 horror/comedy, Y2K, feeds off of that chased sense of nostalgia. The film follows two high school “losers” who crash a New Year’s Eve party. They end up fighting for their lives as Y2K becomes a reality and they must fight off machines as they try to take over. My favorite aspect of the film was to see the mise-en-scėne of 1999 come to life. The costuming was great; the movie was filled with butterfly clips and clothing layers. In particular, the costuming of the lead female character Laura, played by Rachel Zegler, was spot on. The soundtrack also transported the audience back to 1999 with songs like “Praise You” by Fatboy Slim and “Candy” by Mandy Moore. The film even featured a cameo from Fred Durst, a member of Limp Bizkit, which I will dive deeper into later. The film is a very fun and easy watch. That being said, it did ultimately fall short in my eyes. 

The plot of two kids crashing a party and having something go wrong is a classic plot. If done well, it can make for a fun film. But for Y2K, it simply went too far. One of the most important aspects of making a film is knowing what it is that is being made and embracing it. I fear this film forgot what it was about thirty minutes in. The plot quickly switched from a coming-of-age story set at the turn of the century into a survival, cheesy mystery with lots of fake blood. And I mean so much fake blood. Further, the machines take over and try to rise above humanity just like everyone had worried about in the real 90s, and the plot becomes them fighting off the machines through… coding? The plot quickly becomes messy and hard to follow. I think the idea of fighting off machines could have been well executed if it had not been such a 180 from the opening plotlines. I felt little to no connection with these characters, which also made it hard to want said people to win the fight. If you are looking for an unserious film with a proper dose of nostalgia, then this film could be a fun watch but on a technical level, it felt all over the place. 

The film is not all bad– it did provide a few good laughs in unexpected ways. The film is directed by SNL comedian Kyle Mooney who also appears in the film as Garrett. It is clear that he is a comedian and, while he may not be a great director, he does know comedy. When I was watching the film, it did almost feel like one big SNL skit. The fast-paced comedy with snappy punchlines and exaggerated special effects was something straight out of the comedy show. Perhaps my judgments are a bit harsh and I misunderstood what I was getting into. I felt like the exaggerated nature of the film went too far, but if you go into the film expecting a screwball comedy horror, perhaps you would have a different experience. For example, one of the most out-of-place aspects of this film was the cameo of Fred Durst. One of the characters is a big fan of rock music and had talked previously in the film about Limp Bizkit. Shortly after… Fred Durst appears? For no particular reason, this singer (who played himself) decides to help this group of high schoolers save the day. In the setting of a short skit, it could be funny; maybe it could even be satirical. But in the context of a full-blown film, it was just not funny to me. 

With all of this being said, the statement that the plot attempted to make was very compelling. Towards the end of the film, the lead character was talking to one of the computer robots about not being a slave to technology. The computer responded with “You already are.” This is especially interesting, as the time in which the plot takes place is just the start of modern-day technology. People had just begun to use the internet and there were already concerns about being controlled by technology. In today’s modern world, this concern has only grown. I found that to be an interesting plot point, and felt it did help to connect the film with the audience members. But once again, it did feel a bit out of place to make a big statement after an hour of fake blood and over-the-top deaths. I guess I appreciate the effort. 

All in all, Y2K did fall flat. All the parts for a successful film are there; it simply just went awry. As stated previously, if you do watch it, go into it with the mindset of a cheesy SNL skit. Perhaps that will create a more enjoyable experience! If you are looking for a horror/comedy film that captures a time period and also makes a statement, I would highly recommend Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. That is one of my favorite horror-comedy films, and I find it to be highly enjoyable even on the rewatch. I think Bodies, Bodies, Bodies to be a film that perfectly captures the 2020s in a way that Y2K attempted to do.