Time Bomb Y2K

In a certain sense, I really couldn't blame anyone calling "Time Bomb Y2K" a rather messy documentary. It is quite unfocused (without a clear focus) and touches on a number of different topics without necessarily buttoning up any of them. Yet, somewhat remarkably, this tapestry of Y2K coverage manages to nail the exact sentiments of the time period almost perfectly in the hands of directors Brian Becker & Marley Mcdonald.

For a very basic overview, this doc tells the story of the lead-up to the turn of the millennium (1999 into 2000) and how the Y2K computer glitch threatened to plunge the world into another dark age. Was it a hoax? Was it a crisis narrowly averted by hard work and planning? How were the general public reacting (or overreacting, potentially) to it all? Those are primary areas into which "Time Bomb Y2K" delves.

First and foremost for a doc like this, "Time Bomb Y2K" creates a sense of nostalgia through the use of archived news footage and personal videos. As someone who lived through the event and the time period in general, I can vouch for the authenticity of what is presented here. It is an accurate description of what the late-1990s felt like.

This film also does the practical, even-keel work of explaining just how the Y2K glitch occurred and what was done to prevent it from crashing digital systems on 1/1/00. Instead of the "it's a hoax or it's the end of the world" dichotomy presented at the time, the filmmakers here make it pretty clear (without inserting their own voices) that it was simply a lot of money thrown at the problem and a lot of time from computer programmers that ultimately saved the day.

The hallmark of "Time Bomb Y2K", however, is how it presents a society just beginning to reckon with the "digital world" and the way information can be disseminated therein. The mass panic, conspiracy theories, and misinformation around Y2K was eerily similar to more recent public health related events--the only difference being that in 1999 one had to access it via dial-up internet or VHS tapes.

So, though I usually do not enjoy documentaries without a strong focus/thesis, this one worked in spite of that principle because every tangent somehow managed to produce its own interesting material. It tapped into my adolescent nostalgia, showed a populace grappling with an oncoming digital age, and illustrated that while events come and go, people's responses to them are often similar through the decades.

As "Timebomb Y2K" (2023 release; 84 min) opens, we are in "1996" as Bill Clinton and AL Gore yap it up about the "information super highway", and big names like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos all weigh in. Then comes along a no-name doomsayer Peter De Jager, warning about the "millennium bug" to anyone who will listen to him... At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: with 20/20 hindsight provided by the passage of a quarter century, we now look back at the hype that was the millennium bug. Was it ever a fact? We simply cannot tell as of course nothing happened when December 31, 1999 changed into January 1, 2000. De Jager says that doom was averted because so much work was done by so many in the leadup of Y2K. I have no idea. What we know is this: preparing for Y2K became a cotton industry in and of itself. It also gave (yet another) excuse to the fringes of society to spout all kinds of non-sensical conspiracy theories (the Y2K bug was a plot by the federal government to come take your guns away! No, really!). Bottom line: whether it was a fact or just hype, it now feels like the Y2K bug is at best a curiosity or footnote in history, and that is how this documentary comes across as well.

"Timebomb Y2K" played at various film festivals in 2023, and it started airing on HBO and streaming on Max (where I caught it) in late December. If you feel a little nostalgic about the "good ol' days" of the late 90s, I'd readily suggest you check this out (with expectations in check), and draw your own conclusion.

I lived through this, and, other than some software patches that were needed, it was much ado about something that could be fixed easily enough. They are showing the fringes of people that let themselves be swayed by doomsday messages. Most people that I knew at the time weren't too concerned. They knew nothing catastrophic would happen and they knew the software patches were being handled. Y2K was akin to the Mayan Calendar scare of 2012. You either believed it and waited for the end or you went on with your life as usual because you knew it was the media overblown fear mongering pushing the doom and gloom. It isn't very accurate, but it's not entirely wrong.

I feel slightly more confidant that I can relate this time to my daughter (who is older than I was at that time), and speak of more minute details. The good aspects of people uniting and a pre-9/11 world being so happy even when scared brings a little more joy than I had before watching this. It's incredible to see some of the foreshadowing of the world during this, and I am glad that the makers of this didn't focus on those. They let them be little cameos. In fact, I would have truly loved to see an ending where they showed the twin towers still erect. No words said about one year, nine months, and ten days from that moment. Just a silhouette. A reminder that worry is just imagination used incorrectly.

Not a bold statement from a person typing to many other people out there that may happen upon my review, but I was there. I was a ripe sixteen when the ball dropped, and I was very much up to zero good. However, this movie does a great job of going a few years before that very not fateful day. I was old enough to be aware, but young enough to not exactly know who Jager or Kostinen were. I probably saw their faces dozens or hundreds of times, but they didn't ring any bells while watching this film. All that said, bringing back up slight moments of my teenaged memory helped remind me of the fuss that this was.

6.8 stars is accurate.

This documentary is nicely done, but not perfect. It could easily have been three to five minutes shorter, which would have helped with the pacing. Nevertheless, this is an interesting presentation of archival footage.

I like the way this film covers optimists, realists, and pessimistic survivalists. As someone who lived through this, I can tell you there was a LOT of hype back then. Scaremongers selling books were saying things like freeway accidents would occur as power brakes failed at the stroke of midnight. These sorts of claims were laughable of course -- no engineer is going to increase his workload by making systems more complex than needed -- especially when the system MUST be reliable. Why on earth would a power braking system need to know the time and date? It's ridiculous.

As the New Year came and went, the film shifted into covering some interesting and (mostly) uplifting thoughts about global connectivity and the uncertainty and possibilities of the new Millennium.

While not highly structured, this documentary has a straightforward (linear) time-flow, a decent cross-section of opinions, a low-key tone, and a good ending that raises questions about the future. I would have changed a few things, but not much, so I'm *tempted* to give it seven stars. HOWEVER, the film did NOT excite me, and I doubt it will be of great interest to the average viewer. So I think a "proper" rating, considering the big picture, is probably five (5) stars, which is also an accurate reflection of the entertainment value I received.