Early Y2K Movies

I already established that early Y2K, or even pre-Y2K if you prefer, is from 1995 to the end of 1997. I'm not making a rigid case. I'm selecting this timeframe as early Y2K because we can see the obsession with tech, edgy attitudes, and future consciousness began its escalation. I already discussed this when it comes to 3D graphics and video games. It's time to review a few movies that where also tech, edgy, and future obssessed. The list is practically endless. So, I'm only going to focus on movies I have seen, even if I viewed them long after Y2K. Some of these I did grow up with, though. Bear in mind that I am focusing on a very narrow subset of movies in this window of time. So, something like Independence Day or Men in Black are out because they are more about an alien invasion than they are about technology. I will definitely be discussing those in another article.

Tech Obsessed

Technological and futuristic obsession has always been a part of movies, especially in science fiction. However, the Y2K era had several distinct features that would date any of these movies. One of them is, as in video games during the period, 3D visuals. Whether computer animations or CGI, these tools where being used more and more in movies until it became the standard. The biggest feature is without a doubt the internet. It was just burgeoning in the mid 90s thanks to Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer (yuck). Another form of technology was biological or genetic engineering. I remember reading about Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, which raised concerns about the ethics of such scientific feats. You can expect these topics to be explored in of many of these movies. Of course, these weren't the only tech items being discussed at the time. In general, there was either excitement or apprehension with regards to the rapid progress of technology. This may not even be unique to Y2K. Look at Blade Runner. Had it been released in 1996, it wouldn't be out of place (which goes to show how timeless it is). I tried to keep the tech to things that are easily identifiable to this time frame. However, scientific and technological progress is always all over the place at anytime. Expect this list to be imperfect.

The Lost World

You can easily argue that Jurassic Park influenced the use of CGI more than any other movie in the 90s. Not only that, genetic engineering was central to film's (and book's) themes. Unfortunately, it was released in 1993. So it's out on a technicality. We can, however, include its sequel, The Lost World, which came out in 1997. This film does have graphical special effects that demonstrate how much they improved since the first film was released. The dinosaurs do look better; the t-rex appears more menacing and emotive at the same time as they care for their young. However, I must complain that the lessons of bioengineering extinct creatures back into existence is subdued. This is more of a monster flick, with the raptors and rexes being the monsters that the characters must escape from and lure back into captivity. It's a good movie in that regard, but it lacks the arrogant scientific meddling of the first and only retains the senseless greed that drives people into disaster. The loss of "man playing scientific god" is unfortunate; especially in light Dolly's cloning in 1996. I still recommend it, but the first is definitely better.

The Fifth Element

Another film that pushed the limits of CGI use. This one is probably more about the technology used to create the film rather than the technology being used in the movie itself; it's about how the future looks and not how it works. Still, it presented a vision of the future that could only have been envisioned in the 90s. Had it been released in say, 2012, it would have been out of place. You can sense the mixture of excitement and apprehension about a technological future in each scene's aesthetics. It definitely has that grungey cyberpunk outlook typical of the 90s. It also contains a healthy dose of space age optimism borrowed from Star Wars and Star Trek. Even though it paints mankind as greedy and foolish, it is ultimately worth saving. This goes totally in line with end of the millenium apocalypse, renewal, and redemption. The Fifth Element is worth seeing.

Hackers

This is about as Y2K as you could possibly get on this list. There's only one movie on this list that's more Y2K. The film revolves around young computer wizzes that hack into government networks in order to stop a conspiracy. This alone elevates the Y2K energy to high levels. When you consider the rebellious fashion, the neon cyber-aesthetics, and crank that mid 90s electronic soundtrack, this morphs into maximum Y2K energy. As charming as this movie is, I don't think it's particularly good. Hackers is worth watching for being such a wonderful time capsule of the mid 90s and a strong beginning of Y2K. It was at the forefront of hacker mythology and online paranoia. For that it deserves special mention. It's just not the type of movie I would watch repeatedly.

Ghost in the Shell

Even though Blade Runner would not be out of place on this list, we cannot include because it was released in 1982. In its place, we can put Ghost in the Shell. Just like Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell covers the relationship between memories and identity in a run down, grimey, and futuristic setting. It also explores how an artificial creation seeks to legitimize their own existence and become human, or at least human-like. Unlike Blade Runner, it contains a topic that squarely belongs to Y2K: network hacking. It also approaches the question of an articifial creation becoming human by having the antagonist be an artificial intelligence program instead of a bio-engineered replicant. This film liberally borrows ideas from both Bladerunner and Neuromancer. The joining of Major Motoko and the Puppet Master's consciousness is similar to Wintermute merging with Neuromancer. These ideas aren’t entirely original, which is why I find Ghost in the Shell slightly overrated — though still excellent. It does win massive style bonus points for helping define how a Y2K future would look like. That visual and conceptual style would influence not only animated films, but action movies such as the Matrix.

Strange Days

Without a doubt, the most Y2K movie I have here. It literally takes place on Y2K; New Years Eve 1999. Much like many movies on this list, it is skeptical about future technology. In this case, it is the SQUID system that allows users to experience someone else's memories down to their sensations. What makes it interesting is that it's not the SQUID system itself that's bad. It is Lenny's refusal to move on in his life because he's constantly reliving his past memories. Later on in the movie, it is memories extracted from a SQUID that are used as evidence to bring murderers and rapists to justice. In this way, it combined the technophobic nightmares and digital hopes that defined the Y2K imagination. This all takes place in a society on the verge of collapse due to racial tensions and corporate conspiracies. The plot builds towards a hopeful ending where all wrongdoers are brought to justice as the year 2000 rings in. Combine all of the above with a future grunge style and fashion, not to mention that alternative soundtrack, and you get extreme Y2K vibes all the way around. Highly recommended.

Ending It

I'm going to end it now. This article is already way too long. There are way too many movies out there that belong on this list. I could have put "The Net", "Virtuosity", "Gattaca", "Judge Dredd", "Face/Off",... the list is endless. I definitely want to visit those movies in the future, but for now, we will end it here. The common thread connecting all these movies is their fascination, whether fearful or hopeful, of the future. Each one reflects an obsession with the emerging technologies of the Y2K era: the internet, biotechnology, virtual reality, and 3D visual effects. Together, they would form a fever pitch that reached its apex during the peak of Y2K which was to come.