T2: Trainspotting (2017) Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsozpEE543w

(Spoilers ahead!)

Renton (Ewan McGregor), Spud (Ewen Bremner), Begbie (Robert Carlyle) and Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) are back after 20 years apart. Full of the same crude jokes, hilarious friendship and just as explicit as Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 2016), I was surprised how much I loved this sequel.

Despite being a film lover, admittedly I hadn’t seen the original till a couple of months ago. The original initially shocked me with its uncensored violence and how gritty it was with aspects such as sexual scenes, and how visceral the drug-taking scenes were. It portrayed a brutally honest look at the lives of drug addicted youths living in Edinburgh, which was unlike anything I had seen before. The sequel is far less horrifying, yet predictably has some shockingly graphic and stomach-churning scenes.

The sequel follows the story of what happened after the formidable day when Renton took the drug money and ran from his group of friends. At first it seems as if the only one who has progressed in life is Renton, with the others living in the same town in Scotland (everything is not how it seems, however). They all still live a life of crime–Spud is still addicted to heroin, Sick Boy now works as a pub landlord whilst living a life of crime and Begbie is unsurprisingly in jail. There are also appearances from Gail (Shirley Henderson) and the now mature Diane (Kelly MacDonald).

The gang throughout this second instalment get into similar troubled situations to what they faced 20 years before and although It is far less drug-fuelled and far more nostalgic to the first instalment, the dark comedy is nevertheless full of sick humour.

I would 100% recommend this and despite it not being my usual style of film, the performances are brilliant, the story is hugely diverse, immersive and interesting and it’s different to the everyday blockbuster.

One thing I would say is however, that although it is full of flashbacks to the first film, I think to fully appreciate this second installment you should watch the original.

With thanks to Eloise Douglass