This is How the World Ends dir Gregg Araki

As a teenager who loved the hyperbolic teen trash of Araki's Teen Apocalypse trilogy, I was curious and skeptical when it was announced that he was developing a project for MTV.  The project was rejected for obvious reasons, not the least of which seems to be based on this unaired pilot that the electronica explosion never happened (The Chemical Brothers make an appearance and are featured heavily, as are Prodigy, Underworld, Fatboy Slim, Underworld, Basement Jaxx, the Orb).  I always just thought it would be something I'd never have the chance to see and then totally forgot about it when YouTube came along.  Alas, here it is available for all to see, playing like something akin to a PG-13 version of an Araki film. The style is still there- garish set designs with pop art typography, thin acting, thick and insipid lingo, nihilism, homoeroticism, reduction of teendom to its worst stereotypes- but as a trailer it doesn't really make much of an impact. It's very low concept. Not much actually takes place.  This is perhaps why the YouTube video is its perfect format.  A curiosity and time capsule, a piece of something that could have been.