Review of T2 Trainspotting (2017) by Tony D — 30 Jan 2018

T2 Trainspotting ****.

Twenty years on from the original groundbreaking movie adapted from the Irvine Welsh book Trainspotting about young heroin addicts in Edinburgh first hit the screens it has finally returned now.... Trainspotting 2.

?Or T2 for the lazy or James Cameron Fans - strange the sequel should actually renamed after a nineties film of the same era as the film they making a sequel to. In fact if there's any justice in the world the next Terminator film should be called TerminatorSpotting which may be ludicrous but would retain the strange tenacity as the idea of naming it in the first place which might play on the idea of nostalgia (let alone copyright) which is the core of the sequel's theme.

?We massively digress. So Trainspotting a brave film that really booted British films into mainstream Hollywood let alone the cast and Director all of which have had brilliant subsequent careers I mean a Hooah! Danny Boyle the Director has won a Oscar, directed the 2012 Olympic games, refused a Knighthood and even had the pleasure of shaking hands with me at Heathrow airport Gate 24 in 2015 lucky man indeed. McGregor the star became a God almighty star even donning the Jedi cape for star wars, Carlyle landed The Full Monty, became a Bond Villain and Johnny Lee Millar lands a TV show in States and briefly even married Angelina Jolie not too shabby.

So all in all they didn't have to return to this film and do a follow up but 20 years is a long time and all thought that was a good enough reason to catch up all the returning characters of the first.

?Renton (McGregor) returns to Edinburgh catch up with his Friends but gets a awkward reception seeing as last time they saw him he ripped them all off 12 grand from a drug deal. First in the list is Spud (Ewen Bremmer) not doing too good still an addict and on the verge of topping himself, next Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Millar) who's a sick boy indeed making Blackmail video of strange sexual liaisons  whilst dating a lady of the night and finally nut case Begbie (Robert Carlyle) who's in the slammer where else? Well actually out when he escapes and heads back to Edinburgh.

?The positives about this film are easy to list. The Direction by the accomplished Boyle is frankly shit hot, there is not a trace of laziness in anything in this film and based on the direction alone makes this easily the most stylised British Film of the year and it came out in January.

?The Cast again who could risk being indeterminably lazy especially returning as accomplished actors and to parts they have already done but the reality is anything but.

There's a buzz in the air when they return. To name highlights is a pleasure and that's Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremmer. Carlyle lights up the screen in every scene is in, he implores the type of energy Jack Nicholson poured out in One Flow over the Cooker's nest. But also his character you could argue is returning as one of the most complex truly midlife as made him so much more than just a thug his a man at war with himself and in as much agony one else dealing with regret, childhood, his own now adult child, being on the run, being a absent husband and exacting revenge on Renton. Touching, veracious, humourless and plain nutty Carlyle hits every note and shows us his is a character actor on top form which the same can be credited to Ewen Bremmer who puts the same level of complication and suffering and redemption into pain ravaged character.

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Millar and McGregor are on the ball doing justice to their parts but don't as such have much more character development as the others to bring more to the screen but that in turn may be the point. This film is one of nostalgia. The lads had bring dreams in deed but has in life what happens when they don't prevail? You often end up living in the past and that's what this film ultimately does.

?The weakest link of the sequel is it's script narrative not knowing essentially what it wants to be or where in fact it's going there's no clear direction. By the third act you may be forgiven for not knowing exactly which series of events are going to take the lead and be the dominant factor of this tale. For instance there are a few plot lines that really stop and start. Is it about the boys going to start up a new business empire in Edinburgh? Are they getting into a turf war with a local pimp? Is it a revenge story for Begbie? Is it a redemption story?  There's no central goal per say just a flitter of certain plot points that go in all sorts of directions constantly through out.  There's a feeling if there was one central theme which drawed everyone in and every subsequent change was around that the story may be neater.

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Here the film heavily sticks to resonance of the 1st beyond faithfully making it it's absolutely soul purpose to be nostalgic and to that end it really does prevail. .

However if your living in the past you never really move on and by that paradox it's difficult ever seeing this being better than the first film when in fact there's no reason at the script stage you couldn't produce something exactly that.

?Maybe I'm being a little harsh after all there was of course another blockbuster film that had a sequel made after 20 year just recently and that was Independence Day 2.  Compared to that and T2 is frankly a fucking masterpiece. .

?When you have characters, theme and style like this film it's not really a issue compared to the great entertainment that the filmakers loyally rewards fans and new audiences alike. The Acting and Direction will certainly reward anyone's viewing of this stylised British sequel.