Writer: John Hodge (Screenplay) Irvine Welsh (Novel)
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner, Johnny Lee Miller, Shirley Henderson, Kelly Macdonald Anjela Nedyalkova
Plot: After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie.
Tagline – Face your past. Choose your future.
Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: One for the Fans
Story: Trainspotting 2 starts as we meet the old gang, Renton (McGregor) who returns home, Begbie (Carlyle) who is still in jail after his actions in the first film, Spud (Bremner) who has continued to let heroin control his life even after trying to go straight and Simon (Miller) who has been working a con with Veronika (Nedyalkova) where they blackmail men with fetishes.
Renton isn’t welcomed as he had hoped with him having to save Spud’s life and Simon still holding a grudge after not getting the money and Begbie escapes from prison looking to get back at the three that left him in prison. With all four reaching mid-ages they are all facing crisis and search for purpose which brings them back together once again.
Thoughts on Trainspotting 2
Characters – Renton returns to Scotland after 20-years, his life has started to go wrong with his marriage and career, now he returns to rebuild the friendships he lost with Spud and Simon as they plan something new. Renton shows us what it is like to think things are going well but inside you had wished for a different outcome to life. Simon has continued to hold a grudge against Renton after not getting any money, he is still hooked on cocaine and uses Renton to make things go in his own direction. Spud has reached the end of his reason to continue on, his heroin addiction has become too much for himself to deal with but after Renton tries to save him, he opens up a new life with his friends, even though he is still seemingly in his own film. Begbie escapes from prison looking to get back into his criminal ways but first he wants to get revenge on Renton for leaving him in prison.
Performances – The gang is back together, the original four are back and all four have had a good career since the original. Ewan McGregor does look like he has enjoyed returning to this role, while the extremes he goes through are not as difficult than before. Jonny Lee Miller does give us one of his best performances in recent years here, with Ewen Bremner also gives us a great performance as he is involved in the best scenes of the film. Robert Carlyle relishes returning to this role where he is great throughout the film.
Story – The story reunites the original characters who must face their action 20-years ago, this is a story that had been spoken about for years and now the fans of the original will enjoy seeing where these characters are now and what has happened in their lives too. We have seen how they have grown over the years but also have never reaches the levels they dreamed off, I feel this looks at real life and where people are now and where they wanted to be, even if this film has a previous criminal life.
Settings – For the setting we head back to Scotland and get to see the changes over the time which gives us a good nostalgia feeling.
Scene of the Movie – Chose Life
That Moment That Annoyed Me – If you haven’t seen the original certain moments will seem confusing.
Final Thoughts – This is great fans service, you will only be enjoying this one if you enjoyed the first one as you will find too many references coming off short.
Overall: Great Fans Service
Rating