Y2K (2024)

What if every gadget in your house woke up at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1999 and quit taking orders? Y2K pairs that idea with a sweet high school party comedy, and they never get along. Eli has spent forever working up the nerve to kiss Laura at midnight, his best friend Danny is coaching him, and Soccer Chris is throwing the party. The clock strikes twelve, Eli’s plan falls apart, the lights go out, and the machines turn on everyone. Kyle Mooney nails the period, from the VHS store to the Tamagotchis, and Jaeden Martell and Rachel Zegler are easy to root for. And Fred Durst shows up as himself and joins the fight. But the tone lurches between goofy and grim, and once the machines start fusing into one giant junk monster, the laughs dry up. It made $4.48 million worldwide on a reported $15 million. A 4.4 because the nostalgia is a blast and everything after midnight crashes. $185.59 says you dig your old Tamagotchi out of a drawer this weekend and don’t fully trust it.

What works: The late 90s details are spot on, the young cast is likable, and the premise is a fun swing.

What doesn’t: It can’t balance the comedy with the horror, and the final stretch with the giant machine monster runs out of jokes.

Who it’s for: Older teens and grown-ups who remember dial-up and want a silly, nostalgic midnight movie. Too intense for little kids.