Similar to how two meteor movies were released in the summer of 1998 (“Armageddon” and “Deep Impact”), two near-identical documentaries were released last month that chronicled 2017’s disastrous Fyre Festival.

The brainchild of millennial entrepreneur Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule (“I’m in Love with a Church Girl”), Fyre Festival became notorious for its misleading marketing campaign that involved promotions from various social media influencers including Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski (“Welcome Home”). The tropical blowout in the Bahamas would have featured extensive musical talent, luxury villas, exquisite cuisine and more models than a barbecue at the Playboy Mansion. Unfortunately, for those who spent the millions of dollars to attend “Coachella on the Beach,” they were met with FEMA tents, cheap cheese sandwiches and utter despair.

After two years of ridicule and lawsuits, Hulu and Netflix have provided us common folk with two documentaries to get a glimpse into the ill-fated event. Since both documentaries are similar in nature, this critique will be a combined review of both films. In essence, to get the full Fyre Festival story, watching both films is highly recommended. They both complement each other in marvelous ways.

To provide some clarity about the two Fyre Festival films, it is best to consider them as the inverse of the 2010 film, “The Social Network.” That film also dealt with entrepreneurship through the internet and the ambition surrounding the millennial generation, but while Jesse Eisenberg (“The Hummingbird Project”) in that film enjoyed great success, Billy McFarland receives nothing but great distress. The Hulu production in particular, “Fyre Fraud,” paints an interesting look into McFarland’s past as we discover a man who is perhaps too clever for his own good.

He is someone who thinks big but fails to deliver anything. By and large, he is part of the reason why Fyre Festival failed in its entirety. He became John Hammond from “Jurassic Park” and spared no expense. The Netflix production, “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” provides behind-the-scenes insights into production of the festival with those who had first-hand accounts. These interviews are eye opening, as we discover a Billy McFarland that is far from the successful businessman he thinks he is.

Both documentaries act as observations into the millennial psyche. The youth of America today are always looking for self-gratification. They are always on their phones, tweeting constantly, texting, checking Instagram, etc. As a result, it is no surprise to see how such an event could be spread around without the use of traditional advertising. Why buy ads on TV and even the internet when you have millions of users on Instagram at your disposal?

Fyre Festival was sold as the next Coachella. If McFarland actually pulled it off as advertised, it would have been a sight to behold. Instead, we get a tale of deceit, fraud and broken promises. Both documentaries are fantastic at showcasing the pitfalls of millenial excess and should hold as a cautionary tale for those aspiring to be in the world of business. Both films are definitely worth your time. Imagine a trainwreck, but with Instagram models.

Image from Netflix via YouTube