‘Y2K’ review: A glitch in the system

Kyle Mooney’s Y2K is a nostalgic letdown that fails to deliver on its apocalyptic premise, bogged down by forced humor and a muddled story.

Nostalgia can’t paper over a movie’s fundamental storytelling flaws. Case in point: Y2K, the directorial debut of Saturday Night Live alumnus Kyle Mooney (Brigsby Bear) Despite a cool premise set during the infamous Y2K scare, when computers were expected to wreak havoc and bring about an apocalyptic future, Y2K is far more excruciating than exciting.

A fun concept, but…

The plot centers on a group of teens, led by Eli (Jaeden Martell), who attend a New Year’s Eve party hoping to break free of their high school stereotypes. When the clock strikes midnight, an electronic apocalypse unfolds, with machines turning on humanity in increasingly absurd ways—think killer Tamagotchi devices, malfunctioning razors, and so on. While the premise offers potential for zany, chaotic humor, the execution is painfully unfunny, like watching someone repeatedly attempt to restart a frozen computer: slow, clunky, and full of errors.

Though the ‘90s aesthetic hits the right notes, from the soundtrack to the fashion, Y2K falters in its most critical task: getting the audience to care. The characters, including Eli and his best friend Danny (Julian Dennison), are nothing more than clichéd teen stereotypes. Eli is an awkward, lovesick nerd, and Danny is the wisecracking foil. Meanwhile, Laura (Rachel Zegler), the popular yet conveniently nerdy love interest, adds little more than the obligatory romantic subplot. None of them feel fleshed out enough to engage with, let alone root for. The film tosses around ’90s slang like it’s a lifeline, but that gets old fast when it’s clear that Mooney and co-writer Evan Winter are more invested in their retro callbacks than in crafting compelling character arcs or genuine emotional moments.

Nostalgia over substance.

The true disappointment lies in Mooney’s direction. Rather than embracing the absurdity of the premise, the film awkwardly shifts between being a nostalgic comedy, a goofy sci-fi thriller, and an ill-timed teen romance. These tonal shifts never cohere. A brutal death scene is often followed by a slapstick moment, jarring the viewer and undermining any emotional investment. The film loses the chaotic energy it needs as long, laborious stretches of forced drama replace the wild momentum the premise demands. By the time the credits roll, you might be wishing for an escape from the film itself.

Visually, Y2K occasionally impresses, particularly with its absurd, over-the-top robot creations. Machines made from household gadgets and ‘90s tech provide some of the film’s more entertaining moments. But even here, the film fails to deliver on its full potential. The kills are grisly but lack the inventiveness or excitement one might expect from a disaster-comedy hybrid, quickly falling into repetition. There’s a sliver of the ridiculous fun this premise could’ve delivered, but it’s buried under sluggish pacing and a lack of coherent narrative direction.

The bottom line.

If you’re looking for a nostalgic romp with the excitement of This is the End, Y2K misses the mark. Instead of celebrating the chaos of Y2K, it stumbles through its own missteps, leaving you feeling more “error 404” than “system reboot.” For a movie about the turn of the century, this one feels remarkably stuck in the past, struggling to get out of the ’90s and into something resembling a coherent film. Ultimately, it’s a cringe-worthy watch that wastes a promising concept on a script and direction that can’t decide what kind of film it wants to be.

Y2K is now playing in theaters everywhere. You can watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of A24. You can read more articles by Alyshia Kelly here.