I don’t remember a great deal about Y2K. I was a wee lad at the time, and I was too busy running our copy of The Mummy through the VCR a hundred times to worry much. I’m not even sure we had a computer at the time (for Gen-Z, know home computers were once prohibitively expensive). It’s my understanding that preemptive action mitigated most of the more serious concerns, and Y2K, otherwise known as the year 2000 problem, is nothing but a faint cultural memory.
Not so faint for SNL alum Kyle Mooney, however. Partnering with A24, they released Y2K at the end of last year. The horror/comedy hybrid reimagines Y2K as an apocalyptic event wherein all the world’s technology gains sentience and turns against humanity. Think Ghost in the Machine (a classic) on a much larger scale. While critical reviews and box office receipts were iffy, Y2K is killing it on streaming, where the film is currently the most-streamed horror movie on Max. Learn more about the film below:
Per Max: On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party only to find themselves fighting for their lives.
Josh Korngut, as part of his interview with director Kyle Mooney and stars Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison, said of Y2K, “Horror fans rejoice; this one is surprisingly gory and violent. Think Maximum Overdrive meets Dazed and Confused.” He’s right. Y2K is a blast, and while it doesn’t quite enter the upper echelon of A24’s best and brightest horror debuts, it’s nonetheless a blast from the past that’s refreshing in today’s often grim and self-serious horror landscape.
Critical reviews across the board were less kind, however. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the critical consensus reads, “Y2K earns points for ambition and sheer audacity, even if it struggles to keep the laughs coming while maintaining a messy tonal blend.” The box office haul was also a meager $4.4 million against a $15 million budget, so the film’s success on Max is no doubt helping to put the film back on track.
Fans have been kinder. Since the film’s success on Max, audiences have gone online to share their positive impressions of Mooney’s directorial debut. Check out what fans of Y2K are saying about the film online below:
I especially love the comparison to cheesy 2000s horror movies. Get your Idle Hands fix with Y2K as you wait for the former to be remade (courtesy of the Hell of a Summer team).
What do you think? Any plans to check out Y2K on Max? What other titles have you been enjoying on the service lately? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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