Y2K Review: The End Of The World Has Never Been So Fun

A24’s Y2K is the best kind of nonsense, filled with laughs, and featuring an excellent cast led by Rachel Zegler that elevates the script.

Y2K has a premise that oozes potential: What if all that paranoia surrounding potential computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after the year 2000 was warranted? In reality, there were little problems reported when it comes to this issue. This is the outrageous film for you if you have ever thought about the alternative.

This narrative mostly lives up to that potential. Mooney and Winter craft an absolutely bonkers story filled with colorful characters. Clocking it at 93 minutes, the story moves quickly, and while that becomes a problem for character development, things never stop being fun. These characters start and mostly end up where you expect them to. What makes Y2K work is the performances of these actors who clearly bought into the absurdity of what Mooney and Winter were selling. 

That absurdity is all over the screenplay, from its references to late 90s characters, films, and trends to some truly brutal kills by fused versions of technological staples of this time period. The nostalgia does not stop there, as Mooney steps out from behind the director’s chair to portray video store clerk Garrett, an exaggerated but also somehow accurate portrait of 1990s white stoners. There is even an extended cameo from someone that was a staple of the era that I will not spoil here in case you do not already know. All I will say is that I was in utter disbelief when he showed up and nearly busted a gut laughing. There was also what appeared to be a minimal effort to de-age him, which made his appearance that much more hilarious.

Even with a tremendous lack of character development, you are still wrapped up in this alternate history and root for these characters. Sure, you know that Eli has not really done anything to earn his ending, but it will not matter. You will be too focused on the laughs to care. Actors like Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison, and Lachlan Watson do so much for this script that what is on the page is irrelevant. They play things the right way and ensure the audience is feeling something. Zegler channels major girl next door energy as Laura but delivers lines like “Someone’s on the net?”  in a way that sounds much more natural in 2024 than they should. Dennison shows just how much he has grown as an actor since portraying Russell “Firefist” Collins in Deadpool 2 (2018). He is so funny and has a couple of very memorable moments. His emotional side is on display too and it is so rare in a comedy to be able to make that sort of thing work, but Dennison does. 

Lachlan Watson’s Ash gets something that kind of resembles a character arc with some notable story beats, but it kind of just gets resolved in a way that does not feel earned? Their performance was another example of balancing comedy and a little bit of drama, creating a character that feels more human as opposed to like a generic cut out. This cast in general is so good at doing that, which can make audiences overlook the lack of development.

As for the rest of the cast, Jaeden Martell (Knives Out) is fine as our main protagonist, Eli, but through no fault of the actor, he becomes the least interesting person in the story. I honestly struggle to think of a moment where his character stuck out to me, since the narrative tends to use him as the butt of several jokes. Even Eli and Danny’s bully Farkas (Eduardo Franco, Stranger Things) had a moment where I was laughing with him instead of at him. My issue is not that I dislike Eli as a character or Martell’s performance; it is that Martell is given so little to work with that elevating the material as Rachel Zegler does becomes impossible. 

Also, I somehow completely either forgot or missed that Mason Gooding (Scream VI) was in Y2K. He plays Jonas, a college student who has a connection to Laura. Even though Gooding’s role is not big, his presence is a welcome one and he once again shows off a ton of charisma. 

Mooney nearly overloads the audience with needle drops, but there are several songs that tie in perfectly with the narrative. Seeing a ton of vintage items will certainly jumpstart feelings of nostalgia in older viewers with my favorite being burning a mix CD. The film avoids just being one giant trip down memory lane by having a creative story that eventually separates itself from the reality of the viewer. 

Some of the most innovative kills in horror this year are found in Y2K. Nowhere else can you see someone get shot by a VHS of Varsity Blues (1999). The special effects makeup is utilized well, making these kills and all the blood believable. It is also impressive how practical some of these effects are. Looking at it on screen, I thought, “there’s no way that is real” and some of it likely is not, but there are photos of the actors on set with these giant monsters made of vintage technology. This film certainly takes advantage of every bit of the budget that it had.

Y2K is a total blast thanks to a cast that is giving everything they have to make something fun and memorable. Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter write a story that lacks real character development but is too unique and hilarious to pass on. Rachel Zegler turns in another wonderful performance and Julian Dennison nearly steals the show right out from under her. This film is classic turn off your brain and enjoy type stuff, which is sometimes exactly what you need. 

Y2K is now available to watch in theaters in the US & Canada. Read our review of Time Bomb Y2K!