As soon as I heard Y2K described as a “painfully accurate” portrayal of the ‘90s teen experience, I knew I had to see this movie. It took me longer than expected to check out one of the funniest comedies of 2024, but the wait was worth it, as Kyle Mooney’s coming-of-age horror-comedy checked all the boxes for this ‘90s kid. From those Superbad meets Maximum Overdrive vibes to the myriad of ‘90s references to a special cameo I won’t spoil, this great A24 horror flick had it all. Well, except for one thing: a main protagonist I could root for.
Come with me as I break down everything I loved about Y2K and the one major issue I had with the movie, specifically when it comes to the main character and how he is presented from start to finish of this blood-soaked, joke-filled, and outrageously fun techno-horror film that brought back so many memories from my childhood…
Okay, Y2K Captured Those 1999 Vibes Better Than Anything Else I’ve Seen
went over the cast’s heads, for the sake of including them. They worked, and set the tone for the movie and helped establish the various characters in the first half of the story before everything goes to hell in a hand basket.
great ‘90s comedies that perfectly captured the era. Much like classics like Can’t Hardly Wait, Mooney’s horror-comedy features all the major archetypes and cliques found at schools, malls, skateparks, and random street corners in the mid-to-late 1990s. During the big New Year’s Eve party, you have stoners, you have kandi kids, you have nu-metal fans, you have wannabe rappers obsessed with the likes of Immortal Technique…they’re all there. I mean, there’s even a character named Soccer Chris, for crying out loud.
A lot of these characters are just there for world-building, background roles, or bodies to put through the proverbial meat grinder when the machines attack after the ball drops, but there are a handful like Julian Dennison’s Danny, Rachel Zegler’s Laura, and Lachlan Watson’s Ash that really shine in their respective roles. I wish I could say the same about Jaeden Martell’s Eli, the main character in Y2K, however I couldn’t really get down with the main protagonist, which is bumming me out.
he was the worst part of his own story.
one of his Weekend Update characters but to the max.
Then there’s all the nostalgia throughout the movie. Mooney and his team got everything down perfectly when it came to rebuilding the 1999 setting. I’m honestly considering watching it again just so I can pick up on all the references I missed the first time around.
All in all, Y2K felt like a blast from the past and gave me some of the funniest movie moments I’ve had in a long time. Now I can’t wait to see how the former SNL mainstay follows it up.