Saturday Night Live alum Kyle Mooney turns to indie darling studio A24 for his latest horror-comedy, Y2K, a film that depicts a world where the feared event actually took place on New Year’s Eve, 1999. Unfortunately, despite a great cast and a fun trip to the past, Mooney’s latest is a rare dud for A24 that disappoints rather than makes you laugh or scream.
Best buds Eli (Jaeden Martell, Knives Out) and Danny (Julian Dennison, Deadpool 2) head to a 1999 New Year’s Eve party where Eli aims to kiss his high school crush, Laura (Rachel Zegler, West Side Story). But when the clock strikes midnight, the world’s technology becomes infected by a virus that possesses ordinary electronics to slaughter whoever they can find, forcing Eli, Danny, Laura and a ragtag group of partygoers to band together to try to survive.
The best parts of Y2K are when the culture of the 1990s are displayed, satirized and at times, looked on with loving nostalgia. An early scene in a video rental store, which has sadly become an ancient relic, is a highlight, as is the 90s soundtrack. Where it all falls apart is the wildly mismatched tone. This film is a horror-comedy that tries to capture the magic of Edgar Wright’s unofficial “Cornetto Trilogy”- Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End for those not in the know- but turns up the bloody mayhem to the point that you won’t be laughing as teenagers meet gruesome ends from random pieces of 90s tech.
Don’t get me wrong, horror and comedy can coexist. But here’s what separates Y2K from, say, Shaun of the Dead- the latter has a horrific and bloody third act, but its first half is loaded with comedy and endearing characters so that you care when these people die. Y2K, on the other hand, tries to have its cake and eat it too by intermingling comedy and graphic violence far too frequently. Numerous character deaths are either played for laughs or build up to a funny payoff, only for death to upend the moment. You’ll find yourself wondering who this movie is aimed for during these moments; are we supposed to laugh as people die?
But the biggest sin of the film is that it’s just not funny, which makes the gruesome moments all the more upsetting. It doesn’t help that the majority of the film’s humor involves stoners, sex, bad 90s lingo and even worse rap music. Nothing in this is designed for pure, unadulterated laughter; if you’re looking for a truly laugh out loud set piece, you won’t find it here. The only time I laughed was an admittedly creative insult hurled at Rachel Zegler’s character, but unfortunately, that happens halfway through the 90-minute runtime.
A24 has made great horror films and even some laugh out loud comedies. Y2K isn’t one of them. While it was fun to return to a decade that shaped a generation, the fun wears off quickly and you’ll find yourself yearning for a far better horror-comedy.
Y2K is now playing in theaters.
