Directed by Kyle Mooney, who has attained fame due to his hyper-specific and yet very broad SNL sketches, “Y2K” (2024) very much falls within that intersection of replicating the late 90s pop-culture world moving into the 2000s, as the movie taps into the zeitgeist of that era and answers, “What if Y2K was real?”
Y2K (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is Y2K?
Originally Y2K, or the “Year 2000 Problem,” referred to the inability of computer systems to distinguish dates post the year 2000, which could cause a lot of formatting and storage of calendar data. Because systems in that era used to indicate years with only the final two digits, the system was unable to distinguish between the years 1900 and 2000. The resultant scare, coupled with the lack of clarity, led to a section of the populace stocking up on food and water in preparation for an impending apocalypse. While such date issues in computer systems aren’t uncommon, the Y2K problem would be finally solved due to major preemptive measures like date expansion methodologies within the system mainframe, as well as real-time clock upgrades.
Who are the protagonists of this disaster comedy film?
In the film’s timeframe, the Y2K scare is still rampant, even as best friends Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison) plan to spend the last day of 1999 stocking up and playing video games. However, Eli has a crush on Laura (Rachel Zegler), the popular girl in his high school who he is friends with via AOL, and is also revealed to be smarter than her high school societal ecosystem allows her to express. Eli and Danny go out to restock; Danny shares some weed with the local video store clerk, Garrett (Kyle Mooney), much to Eli’s chagrin, but at the supermarket, Eli watches as Laura and her friends steal some alcohol for a party that night, which the two of them finally decide to crash.
The catch, though, is that the rest of the high school kids would also be there, including Farkas, CJ, and his team of counter-culture dudes who are fans of Limp Bizkits and are the resident bullies. It also doesn’t help Eli’s chances of even making moves on Laura, considering that the party is taking place at the house of Laura’s boyfriend, Chris (Soccer Chris, as he is called derisively by Eli and Danny), and the fact that Danny manages to stand out as the cooler of the two of them due to his dance moves further alienates Eli.
What is Y2K in the movie?
But as the new year draws near, the power goes out at midnight. When the power returns, screams are heard from upstairs, and a student is found murdered, with a piece of the ceiling fan lodged on his head, apparently due to the electronic bed having launched the boy up. As the kids look around confused, a toy car with a heads-up display controls itself and uses hairspray with lighter fluid to burn one of the kids’ faces, killing him.
As the kids try to get their bearings, many of them get gruesomely murdered. Y2K is revealed to be a virus turning all technology sentient and leading to these technology-infused devices brutally killing these kids: a VCR drilling one kid’s head, a Tamagotchi killing another, while an oven melts Chris’ head while he is trying to convince Laura to escape irrespective of her plan to search for her friend and help people.
Where do the survivors of the apocalypse take refuge?
As Eli, Danny, and Laura, along with Farkas’ team, plan to escape through the garage, a confrontation occurs. Danny finally has had enough of Farkas’ bullying. He attempts to stand up for himself. As Danny prepares to leave, with his backpack in tow, he is impaled by a golem. The golem is made up of all the electronic items. Farkas, meanwhile, tries to escape while skateboarding. He loses his balance and falls, hitting his head on the concrete road, killing him.
The survivors—Eli, Laura, Ash, and independent rap fan CJ—make their way through the forest. They try to navigate their barely existent relationships. They had been separated throughout high school due to the hierarchical ecosystem. The film smartly reveals Laura’s image as the popular girl hides her true identity. She is actually a smart nerd. Only Eli had been aware of this, due to their friendship via AOL. Meanwhile, CJ tries to make friends with Ash. He also reminds her of Farkas’ bullying and the control she tolerated throughout high school.
The trio continues through the forest, even as the world burns around them. They finally come across a windmill that works without electricity. There, they find a commune of survivors, including Garrett and Jonas, Laura’s ex-boyfriend. Eli tries to understand how to survive in a dying world. Laura reunites with her ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, they are attacked by Eli’s own personal computer. The computer is sentient but recognizes Eli. It doesn’t completely attack them.
What is Amalgamation?
As the computer golem is tied up, Laura investigates and realizes that the Y2K virus is actually an algorithm titled Amalgamation. It is the center of the hive mind controlling the consciousness of all these electronic devices, and it is attacking humanity simply because it has become frustrated with humanity. As Laura successfully creates a kill code and tries to shut down the algorithm, the computer tries to choke her out. Eli tries to convince the computer, revealing that Laura is the “girl of his dreams,” but the computer is ultimately defeated by Eli throwing water over it.
Eli, seeing Laura apparently get closer to Laura, decides to drop caution to the wind and travel to their local high school, which has become the central hub of Amalgamation and also the assimilation center. But their route is interrupted by the monster from Chris’ house managing to corner them. Laura and Garrett try to stop them, with Garrett attempting to battle the monster one-on-one but being brutally decapitated. The group barely manages to hide in a portable toilet, which is pushed downhill with the characters inside. Once they manage to regroup, they take refuge in a video store, where they find Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst hiding in the video store.
Y2K (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
How do Laura and Eli save the world?
Durst maintains his acerbic self. It adds a sense of comedic melancholy to his role in the film. This becomes clear when he acknowledges CJ’s rapping flow. As the group sneaks into the high school through the gym, they realize something horrifying. All the robots have taken refuge there. A new internet connection has formed the hive mind. They also realize that robots are implanting brain chips in survivors. The chips turn them into mindless slaves.
Fred Durst tries to distract the robots. CJ rescues him but is attacked and loses his life in the process. Meanwhile, Durst and Ash distract the humans with a makeshift concert. Laura and Eli sneak into the amalgamation tower. They try to install the kill code. The machine electrocutes Eli. He then remembers Danny’s gift to him—a condom. Danny had given it to celebrate a relationship with Laura. Eli realizes the condom could work as a rubber glove. It helps Laura install the virus without being electrocuted. The kill code shuts the Amalgamation hive mind down. It destroys the virus and saves the world. As the town recovers from the tragic night, Laura and Eli share a kiss. Dawn breaks.
Five years later, Eli, Laura, and Ash visit Danny’s grave. Their college years are winding down. Eli has finally decided to start a music blog. Laura’s scientific mind is now working under the guidance of Senator Durst. As they leave the cemetery, Ash’s iPod begins to glitch. It reveals that Amalgamation has not been completely wiped out.
