Comedy
featured
Review: ‘Y2K’ is a Disaster Comedy Not Even Nostalgia Can Save
December 4, 2024Ben MK
|
Two of the most prevalent genres in film, the teen comedy and the disaster thriller have entertained audiences with both side-splitting laughs and non-stop action. Whether it's cult classics like Clueless and Superbad or fan-favorite blockbusters like Independence Day and Twister, moviegoers have enjoyed plenty of bang for their box-office buck, thanks to the hilarious hijinks and death-defying heroics of these big-screen protagonists. Combine these two genres, however, and you might just have a movie with the potential to leave audiences rolling in the aisles, as well as clutching the edge of their seats. At least, that's the premise behind Kyle Mooney's directorial debut, Y2K, in which a group of teenagers must try to survive a terrifying apocalypse brought on by a sinister artificial intelligence. Set on New Year's Eve 1999, in an alternate reality where the concerns about Y2K were actually just the tip of the iceberg, the story follows high school juniors Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), two outcasts trying to score big before the clock strikes midnight. Intent of finally hooking up with his longtime crush, a tech-savvy high school senior named Laura (Rachel Zegler), Eli allows Danny to convince him to attempt to make his move, as the awkward pair crash a New Year's Eve party attended by virtually all the various cliques at their school. Little do any of them realize, however, that with the much-discussed cutover to the year 2000 they'll be facing a lot worse problems than just worrying about how to lose their virginity. And when their worst nightmares become a reality — namely, the rise of a power-mad and ruthless artificial intelligence hive mind calling itself "the singularity" — it forces them to put aside their differences, as they must band together to make it through the night, while everyday household appliances from VHS players to microwaves try to kill them. Teaming up with a couple of alt-rock and hip-hop enthusiasts named Ash (Lachlan Watson) and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri), they set out on bikes and skateboards in search of safe haven, a treacherous journey that will lead them to a commune in the middle of the woods set up by stoner video clerk Garrett (Mooney) and his friends, which also includes Jonas (Scream's Mason Gooding). But will they truly find refuge there from the robot apocalypse that threatens to consume their town and eventually the entire world? Or is it only a matter of time before the singularity finds them and captures them for its own nefarious plans — turning the human race into slaves by implanting microchips in their brains? What's more, will our plucky protagonists be cowardly enough to stand idly by and watch while their families and friends are assimilated? Or will they find the courage to fight back, taking the battle straight to the heart of the singularity and stopping it once and for all? Written by Mooney and Evan Winter, the result is a love letter to all things '90s, from the chart-topping hits of the era like Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" and Sisqó's "Thong Song" to TV shows like That '70s Show and dial-up Internet. Yet, despite Y2K's ambitions to be the next This is the End, there's much left to be desired when it comes to the film's ability to keep the laughs consistently coming, even when our intrepid heroes are being chased by walking monstrosities made up of a hodgepodge of now-dated tech. Whether it's the hit-and-miss humor, which falls short of overcoming the movie's low-budget aesthetic, or the pop culture references, most of which tend to fall flat, even for those who grew up in the '90s, the result brims with missed opportunities at every turn. Still, nothing spells disaster more than a cameo from Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, a role that aims to be crowdpleasing but instead winds up one of the film's biggest and most cringeworthy letdowns. It all adds up to a disaster comedy that may have shone on paper, but is ultimately less than the sum of its parts. Nonetheless, for viewers in the mood for Can't Hardly Wait meets The Terminator, there might be some aspects of Y2K that will prove salvageable for a chuckle or two. Either way, audiences would be well advised to keep expectations low. After all, the millennium may have come and gone without incident, but considering how this is set in a world of sci-fi fantasy, it's still possible for viewers to get burned. Y2K releases December 6th, 2024 from VVS Films. The film has an MPAA rating of R for bloody violence, strong sexual content/nudity, pervasive language, and teen drug and alcohol use. Its runtime is 1 hr. 33 min. |
0 comments