Remember the paranoia that spread throughout the late ’90s when people believed the world’s entire computer infrastructure would crash once the clock struck midnight on the year 2000? Misinformation around the potential bug caused many to go into panic mode, purchasing bulk supplies of food and water, as well as backup generators, and even withdrawing large sums of money from the bank. Thankfully, no such tech failure came to pass, nuclear warheads were kept in their silos, and the world kept spinning. Nevertheless, for writer/director Kyle Mooney, this potential phenomena has clearly stayed with him, inspiring his directorial debut, “Y2K.”
Set on New Year’s Eve 1999, the sci-fi comedy depicts an alt history in which the Y2K disaster actually did come to pass, albeit in a more grandiose fashion. Rather than simply shutting down the world’s technology, Mooney and co-writer Evan Winter imagine a world in which that tech is given higher intelligence and end up turning against their human users. Starring Rachel Zegler, Jaeden Martell, and Julian Dennison as a group of high schoolers tasked with defeating or at least surviving this new threat, “Y2K” also features performances from Mooney, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, The Kid Laroi, Alicia Silverstone, and Tim Heidecker.
Produced by A24, as well as Jonah Hill’s Strong Baby Productions and Christopher Storer’s American Light & Fixture, the film had its world premiere at SXSW, where IndieWire selected it as a Critic’s Pick. In our review, Christian Zilko wrote, “Combining the youthful raunchiness of ‘Superbad’ with a detailed nostalgia for the era of video stores and AOL Instant Messenger, this playful sci-fi spectacle splits the difference between early ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘The Terminator,’ with immaculate soundtrack vibes courtesy of Fatboy Slim and Chumbawamba. ‘Y2K’ might be one of the most natural crowd pleasers that A24 has ever produced.”
In an interview with Alison Foreman for IndieWire’s 2000s Week, Mooney shared it kind of felt like a letdown when things didn’t go haywire on Y2K.
“When anybody brings it up, the first thing you say is how disappointing it was and how much of a letdown you thought it was,” said Mooney. “We thought it was going to be this massive thing and it wasn’t.”
A24 releases “Y2K” in theaters on December 6. Watch the trailer below.
