'T2 Trainspotting' Delivers The Unexpected, A Sequel That Stands On Its Own

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 16, 2017 5:48PM

Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) and Simon (Jonny Lee Miller) at nightclub in TriStar Pictures’ 'T2 Trainspotting'

Trainspotting was a movie that defined a generation—heck, 20 years ago it was basically the official film tied to the movement that included the Britpop explosion. So, when it was announced last year that there would finally be a sequel, our hopes were high,—but so were our fears that a new work would never measure up to the original.

So allow me to allay those fears.

T2 Trainspotting is the rare sequel that no only does justice to its predecessor, it can stand successfully on its own. I brought someone who had never seen the original to the screening, and they confirmed the movie was great even without any knowledge of the characters’ previous adventures.

After the screening I attended, director Danny Boyle told the audience that they had considered doing a sequel around the film’s 10th anniversary, but the script never felt right, and they feared it would come across as the further zany adventures of Renton and the crew.

It wasn’t until recently that they came up with an idea that would be worth getting the whole range back together. But once the basic idea was in place Ewan McGregor (Mark Renton), Ewen Bremner (Spud), Jonny Lee Miller (Sick Boy) and Robert Carlyle (Begbie) were all convinced to reprise their original roles, and John Hodge returned to write the screenplay based on Irvine Welsh’s characters.

T2 Trainspotting takes place 20 years after the heist in the first film, and has Renton returning home for the first time since then. Begbie is still in jail, Spud is still a junkie and Sick Boy is still a low-level crook. But from the first couple minutes every character’s situation gets turned on its head and spurs the central story forward while allowing us to see what the movie is really about. While there is plenty of action, laughs, and tension, the central core of the story is a reflection of simply dealing with getting older.

Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) and Spud (Ewen Bremner) after their run on top of Arthur’s Seat at sunset in TriStar Pictures’ 'T2 Trainspotting'

People have a tendency to reflect on their past more and more as they age, unwilling to face up to the fact that what lies ahead might be a little scary. And the characters in T2 Trainspotting are all guilty of that. But there also comes a point in middle-age when you have to decide whether to hold on to the past or move into the future, and the true tension of the film’s story is which characters actually make that move and how they accomplish it. There is a true emotional core and honesty to the movie that allows it to stand on its own.

T2 Tainspotting is not a nostalgia trip as much as it is a reflection upon nostalgic tendencies.

When the original Trainspotting makes its way into the film via judicious flashbacks, it works. Boyle mentioned it was unintentional, but once they started editing that footage the films seemed to be talking to one another “which was weird.” But the snippets are essential, as are flashbacks to the boys at various ages through the years to provide deeper insight into what made the characters who they are.

Visually, Boyle brings his unique eye back to the film, at times he seems to borrow various effects from his catalog of films, framing scenes via CCTV, cellphones, Snapchat filters and other unexpected vantage points. Boyle’s eye for turning the ordinary into the borderline hallucinogenic is still firmly there, even if this movie doesn’t depend as heavily on actual drug use as the first.

Begbie (Robert Carlyle) raging over toilet cubicle in TriStar Pictures’ 'T2 Trainspotting'

So that’s all the serious stuff to argue for the sequel’s validity; but is the movie fun?

T2 Trainspotting is a wild ride from start to finish. There is genuine tension running through much of the movie with just the right amount of dark humor to provide breathing points. Of course, I expected that would probably be the case going in. What I didn’t expect was that a few genuinely touching emotional moments based on the relationships you see build throughout the film would pay off in a way that seemed deeper than you would expect from this cast of characters. And yes, there is an updated reprise of the "Choose Life" speech, but it takes an unexpected twist that gives that particular nugget a deeper resonance.

So whether you’re a longtime fan like me that saw the original movie the day it opened in the U.S. 20 years ago, or someone who is more familiar with Ewan McGregor as a Star Wars hero or Dany Boyle as a mainstream Hollywood hot-shot, T2 Trainspotting is a must-see.

Oh, and the title? Boyle revealed that he initially didn’t even want Trainspotting in the name—he wanted to call it The Least Unfamiliar—something that horrified the move’s marketing team. But after reflection, he realized tat if you asked the characters what their favorite sequel was, they would probably pick James Cameron’s Terminator sequel. “Because the characters would want to pay their respects to one of the greatest directors in the world and at the same time piss him off.”

T2 Trainspotting opens March 17 in New York and L.A., with a wider release including Chicago on March 24.