'T2: Trainspotting' Review

This weekend saw the release of one of the most highly anticipated sequels since The Force Awakens, the follow up to Danny Boyle's iconic Trainspotting. Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, the original film followed the heroin-fueled exploits of a group of friends living in Edinburgh. Picking up 20 years later, T2 sees protagonist Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) return to Edinburgh for the first time since the events of the first film, inevitably the sins of his past come back to haunt him and chaos soon ensues. The hopes were high for this one, I mean the original Trainspotting is nothing less than iconic, a film that defined a generation. While T2 doesn't exactly capture the magic of its predecessor, it does enough to make it an enjoyable and satisfying sequel.

T2 reunites director Danny Boyle with the original cast members, all the old gang are back on board for this one. 20 years have passed however, so the characters have gone through a lot of changes since the first film, these are made apparent in early parts of the film but as things progress we soon find the gang back to their old tricks once again. 20 years later and the cast fit back into their old roles almost effortlessly, they may have aged but they're still the same characters we grew to love in their first outing. McGregor is excellent at playing an ageing Renton, now a much more mature character who finds himself attempting to reignite the flame of his youth upon returning to Edinburgh. However, unlike the original, T2 pays an equal amount of attention to its four main characters, this isn't just about how Renton has developed since Trainspotting, but also Sickboy, Spud (Ewen Bremmer) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle).

I was delighted to see Ewen Bremmer get more screentime here, Spud being the most compelling character of the four in this film, he is a lot more fleshed out this time around and acts as a large contribution to the films emotional backbone. As for Robert Carlyle, he slips back into the role of Begbie like a glove, injecting just the right balance of menace and humour to remind us why we love to hate him. He has this incredibly intimidating presence during all of his scenes, creating this sense of tension that had my heart vigorously pounding in my chest. There is once scene in particular where he is reunited with Renton and let's just say, it's not a happy reunion. Carlyle steals the show by far. As for Kelly Macdonald who played Renton's quasi-love interest Diane in the first film, her role is reduced to merely one scene. While I wasn't too bothered by that, I was quite disappointed at how underused Shirley Henderson was here. Acting as Spud's love interest in the first film the character of Gail had so much potential in the sequel, unfortunately she is reduced to merely one line of dialogue. As for Anjela Nedyalkova, a newcomer to the cast who plays Sickboy's prostitute girlfriend Veronika, she does a decent job at fitting in among this already established cast of characters but is somewhat bland in comparison to those around her.

A lot of the film focuses on a a scheme between Renton, Sickboy and Veronica involving the opening of a brothel, and for me this is what let the film down so much. Such a large chunk of the film is dedicated to this storyline that ultimately never amounts to anything, it lacks that exciting and visceral atmosphere of the original. While it is obviously a pleasure to see the relationship between Renton and Sickboy become more layered in this film, their story arc just felt a bit bland which is a real shame considering how much of the film it takes up. Thankfully, the film has two wonderful, intertwining subplots involving Spud and Begbie that bring it back to its feet. Not only do they provide much more development for the duo, but they inject that unique sense of grit and emotion that made the first film so memorable. Spud's story is particularly touching but I won't spoil it, you'll have to see it for yourself. Eventually all of these different story arcs collide in a cathartic climax packed with tension, ultimately leading to a satisfying conclusion to the Trainspotting story.

Visually, the film excels. A combination of Danny Boyle's masterful direction and the ambitious cinematography from Anthony Dod Mantle gives this film that distorted, almost otherworldly atmosphere much like the original. Speaking of which, there is plenty of reference to its predecessor to satisfy diehard fans. Be it through archive footage, through the soundtrack, through dialogue, almost every medium is used to hark back to Trainspotting, respectfully paying homage without relying too heavily on fan service. It almost reflects the character of Renton himself, a man who has returned home after 20 years and becomes immersed in nostalgia. We, the audience can relate to this as we finally return to the world of Trainspotting after all these years.

While it doesn't hit all of the bars that it could and is, at times, dragged down by a rather lackluster plot, T2: Trainspotting is an enjoyable sequel that will please causal cinemagoers and diehard Trainspotting fans alike. It has a strong cast, beautiful visuals, and pays enough homage to the original to create a beautiful sense of nostalgia. When the original film has become so iconic over the years, it's hard to make a follow up that will fully live up to that sensation, no matter how this film turned out it was never going to be as good as its predecessor. In particular, the soundtrack does not come close to the perfection of the original, to be fair I don't think that could have ever been possible. Despite of its flaws, I think T2: Trainspotting does enough to honour the original and please its fans, it may not tick all of the boxes, but it ticks enough of them.