T2 Trainspotting - directed by Danny Boyle
There was a moment during "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" when I settled into my seat just that little more comfortably as I realised that the movie was going to be fine... better than fine.
It is that sense of relief you get when something you have cared about for some time remains untainted by a new addition.
And so it was with "T2 Trainspotting".
This is a film released twenty years after the last much loved one that not only doesn't crap all over the original but adds to it... honours it in fact.
"T2 Trainspotting" is not only released twenty years after the first film but is set the same period from it.
Last time we saw Renton (McGregor) he had absconded with the earnings from a drug deal leaving Begbie in a rage and about to be arrested and friends Sickboy (Miller) and Spud (Bremner) to deal with it.
He now returns to Edinburgh after spending the time in between in Amsterdam.
Spud is still dealing with a drug addiction and Sickboy is still earning his nickname with a series of scams including blackmailing a school teacher who he has filmed with a hooker.
To be accurate- not a hooker so much as his partner in crime.
Begbie (Carlyle) is in prison but uses a manufactured injury to get into the hospital and then escape.
Everything seems about right.... there are no surprises with any of the crew or what they are up to.
That covers off the 'not crapping all over the original part' but it is what the film does next with these characters that really makes it so successful.
Director Boyle and screenwriter Hodges have smartly made this a film about aging and how it changes people - even those who seemed destined to never do so.
Renton is off the drugs but the betrayal all of those years ago still weighs heavily on him.
And he knows only too well what part he played in the death of Tommy in the last film.
When Sickboy cruelly reminds him he fires harshly back with a reminder of the child that died through Sickboy's neglect.
The past is ever present here and not always in so overt a manner or indeed in relation to the characters and story.
There are visual cues such as the opening shot which finds Renton running not on the pavements of Edinburgh evading police but on a treadmill in a gym.
A shot of a toilet is lingered on just long enough to remind the viewer of 'that' toilet scene in the first film.
There are bursts of music from the classic soundtrack from the 1996 film and of course a number of actors return.
These things all serve to ground this story in the same universe as the last film even if it is also clearly some years later.
There is a repeat of the 'Choose Life' speech but this time it is altered to suit a world full of smartphones and social media.
It is one of the highlights of the first half and one of the very key indicators that this film is working.
Nothing here is jarring.
Not a single character, track, line or event feels like it isn't just right and exactly what you would expect from the characters.
I wonder if the actors slipped back into the roles as easily as they appear to on screen.
It is honestly as if it has only been a couple of years since they last appeared.
Even the return of Diane is utterly perfect.
Her job now might at first seem to be a stretch until you recall her amazing dissection of Renton in the last film in response to his blatant hitting on of her at the club.
Then it seems obvious that the assertive young woman from twenty years ago would now be in the career that she has chosen.
I am a little bit in awe at how well this movie has been put together.
This is as seamless a sequel as I have ever seen and given that twenty year gap it is a hell of an achievement.
Even Boyle's flourishes are perfect.
There may not be anything as visually jaw-dropping as the baby on the ceiling, the swimming in the toilet or the sinking into the floor but there are a couple of shots that are every bit as good in the context of what is happening now.
A scene in which Renton and Begbie slowly realise that they have run into each other is a gem.
Likewise a quick shot perspective change while Begbie is talking to his son is so good and so slick that I wasn't entirely sure what I had seen.
For me though it is the Tommy memorial scene when the guys go out to the country to lay flowers that really impressed me.
I loved this film - even more than I had hoped I would.
It avoids all of the pitfalls of what some may call unnecessary sequels by refusing to simply replay the original for the quick cash in.
So much thought has clearly gone into considering what has become of each and every character.
None are under-served - even a couple who have limited screen time have enough to say and/or do that we feel we have a grip on who they are now and how they got there.
This is very much its own film but still one that connects to its predecessor very, very well.
It is loaded with surprises and at least one character undergoes a change that justifies the existence of this sequel.
And yet all of the humour, great soundtrack choices and some brilliant lines are here.
It goes without saying that Boyle has directed the hell out of it - he always does. I would argue that in this case it is his restraint that is as important as his more stylistic touches.
This is very definitely Trainspotting and it is absolutely a genuinely great film.
RATING: 87 / 100
CONCLUSION: So much works here to make this feel genuinely a follow on from the classic original. Credit Boyle and his crew for their patience and high quality bar that they didn't rush this one out and waited until they could give us what they have - an amazing sequel to an amazing film.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Robert Carlyle, Johnny Lee Miller, Kelly MacDonald, James Cosmo, Anjela Nedyalkova, Bradley Welsh, Irvine Welsh, Eileen NIcholas, Kyle Fitzpatrick, Pauline Lynch
Screenplay: John Hodge (adapted from Irvine Welsh's book)
Music Score by: N/A
Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
Edited by: Jon Harris
Running Time: 117 minutes
Language: English
Rated: R16 - Profanity, nudity, drug use, sex scenes
Running Time: 117 minutes
Language: English
Rated: R16 - Profanity, nudity, drug use, sex scenes
There was a moment during "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" when I settled into my seat just that little more comfortably as I realised that the movie was going to be fine... better than fine.
It is that sense of relief you get when something you have cared about for some time remains untainted by a new addition.
And so it was with "T2 Trainspotting".
This is a film released twenty years after the last much loved one that not only doesn't crap all over the original but adds to it... honours it in fact.
"T2 Trainspotting" is not only released twenty years after the first film but is set the same period from it.
Last time we saw Renton (McGregor) he had absconded with the earnings from a drug deal leaving Begbie in a rage and about to be arrested and friends Sickboy (Miller) and Spud (Bremner) to deal with it.
He now returns to Edinburgh after spending the time in between in Amsterdam.
Spud is still dealing with a drug addiction and Sickboy is still earning his nickname with a series of scams including blackmailing a school teacher who he has filmed with a hooker.
To be accurate- not a hooker so much as his partner in crime.
Begbie (Carlyle) is in prison but uses a manufactured injury to get into the hospital and then escape.
Everything seems about right.... there are no surprises with any of the crew or what they are up to.
That covers off the 'not crapping all over the original part' but it is what the film does next with these characters that really makes it so successful.
 |
| The relationship between Renton and Spud remains vital to the plot and the themes |
Renton is off the drugs but the betrayal all of those years ago still weighs heavily on him.
And he knows only too well what part he played in the death of Tommy in the last film.
When Sickboy cruelly reminds him he fires harshly back with a reminder of the child that died through Sickboy's neglect.
The past is ever present here and not always in so overt a manner or indeed in relation to the characters and story.
There are visual cues such as the opening shot which finds Renton running not on the pavements of Edinburgh evading police but on a treadmill in a gym.
A shot of a toilet is lingered on just long enough to remind the viewer of 'that' toilet scene in the first film.
There are bursts of music from the classic soundtrack from the 1996 film and of course a number of actors return.
These things all serve to ground this story in the same universe as the last film even if it is also clearly some years later.
There is a repeat of the 'Choose Life' speech but this time it is altered to suit a world full of smartphones and social media.
It is one of the highlights of the first half and one of the very key indicators that this film is working.
 |
| New character Veronika fits in superbly well |
Not a single character, track, line or event feels like it isn't just right and exactly what you would expect from the characters.
I wonder if the actors slipped back into the roles as easily as they appear to on screen.
It is honestly as if it has only been a couple of years since they last appeared.
Even the return of Diane is utterly perfect.
Her job now might at first seem to be a stretch until you recall her amazing dissection of Renton in the last film in response to his blatant hitting on of her at the club.
Then it seems obvious that the assertive young woman from twenty years ago would now be in the career that she has chosen.
I am a little bit in awe at how well this movie has been put together.
This is as seamless a sequel as I have ever seen and given that twenty year gap it is a hell of an achievement.
Even Boyle's flourishes are perfect.
There may not be anything as visually jaw-dropping as the baby on the ceiling, the swimming in the toilet or the sinking into the floor but there are a couple of shots that are every bit as good in the context of what is happening now.
A scene in which Renton and Begbie slowly realise that they have run into each other is a gem.
Likewise a quick shot perspective change while Begbie is talking to his son is so good and so slick that I wasn't entirely sure what I had seen.
For me though it is the Tommy memorial scene when the guys go out to the country to lay flowers that really impressed me.
 |
| The old crew are all back and to the last are perfect |
It avoids all of the pitfalls of what some may call unnecessary sequels by refusing to simply replay the original for the quick cash in.
So much thought has clearly gone into considering what has become of each and every character.
None are under-served - even a couple who have limited screen time have enough to say and/or do that we feel we have a grip on who they are now and how they got there.
This is very much its own film but still one that connects to its predecessor very, very well.
It is loaded with surprises and at least one character undergoes a change that justifies the existence of this sequel.
And yet all of the humour, great soundtrack choices and some brilliant lines are here.
It goes without saying that Boyle has directed the hell out of it - he always does. I would argue that in this case it is his restraint that is as important as his more stylistic touches.
This is very definitely Trainspotting and it is absolutely a genuinely great film.
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