T2 Trainspotting (2017)

T2 Trainspotting (2017)

6/10

Starring

Ewan McGregor

Ewen Bremner

Jonny Lee Miller

Robert Carlyle

Directed by Danny Boyle

Trainspotting the sequel, or T2 Trainspotting, feels more like a nostalgia movie than a sequel that could stand up to the awesome delivery of the first movie.

Taking my time to go through this movie wasn’t as fun as I expected, and it didn’t start to hit home until the remaining cast of four (since Tommy died of AIDS in the first movie) got together in one place. Sadly, that scene only lasted about five minutes.

T2 Trainspotting follows the lives of the four who pulled off the drug sale some twenty years ago. You’ll recall from the first movie that Mark (Ewan McGregor) ran away with the sixteen thousand pounds that was supposed to be split among them. Now, Mark is in his forties and has decided to move back to Scotland.

Much of the fresh, slick fun of the first movie is missing here, and the sequel also lacks the awesome cinematography and effects that were so influential in the cult stardom of the original. The characters are older now, but they still manage to deliver and capture some of the fun you’d expect from seeing them reprise their roles.

The movie does have the element of surprise, though. Many of the things happening on screen will catch you off guard, as you won’t be able to faithfully predict how things will turn out. However, the cut scenes showing the characters when they were younger—or providing visual aids to what they were talking about—felt distracting to me and, in a way, made the movie longer than it needed to be.

T2 Trainspotting is loosely based on Porno, the sequel to Irvine Welsh’s book Trainspotting. The movie is also directed by Danny Boyle, and I wouldn’t say it’s a wasted sequel. It does tie up loose ends between the friends and gives them an ending that somewhat befits their stories.

That said, the movie’s plot and screenplay drag a little. From Mark returning and lying about how great his life is (when he had nowhere to go), to Simon (Jonny Lee Miller) blackmailing people to get by, and Spud (Ewen Bremner) struggling to cope as an addict and a father, the pacing feels uneven. Mark’s return is met with blows and punches from both Simon and Spud, but eventually, the three decide to team up for one more money-making gig.

On the other hand, Frankie (Robert Carlyle) has broken out of jail and is trying to raise his son to be a burglar like him. His reunion with Simon leads him to believe that Mark is still in Amsterdam. Simon’s plan is to get even with Mark, but even that doesn’t go well, as Frankie is even more out of control than he was in the first movie.

T2 Trainspotting is a movie to watch after you’ve seen the first, but don’t expect it to live up to the classic status of the original.