Review of T2 Trainspotting (2017) by Dana F — 19 Dec 2017

I saw the original "Trainspotting" in the theater in 1996, and I was totally blown away by it. At the time, it was the cuttingest-edgest of all films, and I had never seen anything like it. I was shocked and disturbed and enthralled and absolutely in love with it.

Twenty years later, I was angry and disgusted to hear that they made a sequel. Really, a sequel? To "Trainspotting"??? If there was one film that did not need a sequel, it's that one. I was diametrically opposed to its creation and did not want to even acknowledge its existence (much like Godfather 3, Indiana Jones 4, and any number of other unnecessary, far-too-past-their-time sequels).

I'm so glad I gave it a chance because I ended up really enjoying it. There was a reason the first was and still is a great movie, beyond the novelty, style, subject matter - it features a slew of great characters.

And they are just as compelling now as they were back then... aged, (sometimes) a little more mature, but they all stay true to how they were developed in 1996. I felt like I was reconnecting with old friends again.

The first film was an unflinching look at heroin addiction, but this one... well, I don't even know what this one is about. On the surface, it's a heist film, but it's more of a portrait of how the choices we make in youth have consequences that affect us for the rest of our lives.

The greatest part of this film is that we, the audience, have aged along with these characters, and it gets you thinking about how you have spent your own last 20 years. But let's get real here: there is one reason this movie got made, and that is solely an excuse to get the band back together - the film is about as self-indulgent as they come.

Be that as it may, it's still really entertaining. But fair warning: it's made exclusively for fans of the original. It's loaded with knowing references to the first film, often even juxtaposing footage and clips from the old with the new.

It's not dark and gritty like the first, but still has that same type of humor and style. While it is a simpler and less dynamic film, there is a charm to it. This movie is not ground-breaking, nor will it have even a flicker of the influence that the original did, but it's still a good watch for fans for the original.

It's lighter, more playful, more fun, and clearly achieves the goals it sought to achieve.