T2 Trainspotting Review

There are films which have such an impact with its audience that that question of a sequel never really goes away. Danny Boyle's Trainspotting was a cultural phenomenon, it defined an entire generation, it became the film of the 1990's and was a film riding the wave of 'Cool Britannia', so how on earth do you follow that? The answer appears to be to wait a while.

It's now 20 years on from Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) stitching up his mates and leaving with all £20,000 of the cash they scored from a drug deal, Mark, now in his 40s, is living in Amsterdam, after a health scare he thinks it's time to pay a visit home to see how things have gone for everyone else and possibly make amends with his 3 mates. Upon returning he falls back into old habits of dodgy deals and substance abuse with best friend Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson (Jonny Lee Miller), with lovable friend Spud (Ewen Bremner) trying to get his life back on track and psychopath Francis Begbie (Robert Carlyle) out for revenge against Mark.

Time really has played a major part in making this sequel feel so intriguing. To make a sequel only a couple of years after the original would have meant placing the same characters into similar situations whilst never reaching the dizzying originality they achieved first time out. T2  is the same characters, but 20 years on they're different people in many ways, and much the same in many others. There is a rich sense of nostalgia and a melancholy for a time gone past. It's sensitive to how we view our lives at an older age and think more fondly of times we've had before. It's been 20 years since these actors have played these characters, but you don't think that for a second, it almost feels that they are these characters, they've never left them.

The sense of nostalgia and looking back never entirely overwhelms the film of being something of itself. It obviously doesn't have the same power as the original and it definitely isn't going to resonate as big culturally speaking, but it reminds you that Danny Boyle is still an outrageously cool director. Boyle is constantly looking to provide something different and new to keep the energy flowing through the film, and for the most part he achieves it, 20 years later he is still just as inventive.

The thing that everyone remembers about the original is the soundtrack, it was the thing that tied the film so well to its young audience. The soundtrack here is also very impressive, it's a little more mixed as it blends together some classic pop with more contemporary pieces, the best example of this is the remixed and pumped up version of 'Lust for life' which was the score to the famous opening of the 90s original.

Ultimately this isn't Trainspotting and it also very much is Trainspotting, its like looking at your dad really, he's the same person as he was when he was in his 20's, he's fun now but in a different way, he's matured but you know that he used to tear it up 20 years ago, he's not as cool but he's more warm and good spirited. Although your dad probably doesn't take anywhere near as much heroin.

(High 4 Stars)