Director: Danny Boyle
Writers: John Hodge, Irvine Welsh (novels)
Reviewed by: Abe Lopez
It has been over twenty years since the cult classic Trainspotting came out in 1996, now all the main characters return in this much anticipated sequel. After many trials and errors on the screenplay for this movie, John Hodge and Danny Boyle eventually had a script that made the actors from the original to come back for T2 Trainspotting. If you have seen the first movie (and enjoyed it), you will most likely enjoy this new installment.
This sequel does not act so much as a stand alone film, I would highly suggest watching Trainspotting (1996) before you see this one. Being a fan of the original, I thought that T2 lived up to the hype. I went with one other person, who had not seen the original, and she was genuinely confused throughout the whole movie and I could see how that would be the case. Mark Renton (played by Ewan McGregor) returns after 20 years abroad from Scotland, and reunites with his friends. The way Renton’s old friends treat him have to do with the fact of what he did 20 years ago to deserve it.
I won’t spoil the first movie for the sake of defending the plot of T2, so coming into this complex story without the prior knowledge of what happened 20 years ago in the world of Trainspotting will likely lead you to think “what was the point of that?” or “why would someone do such a thing?”. This movie is rated R for its usage of language, violence, drug use, graphic nudity, and strong sexual content. That being said, this movie is also filled with love, hate, friendship, regret, longing, joy, vengeance, sorrow, loss, and basically every other human emotion. T2 Trainspotting is currently playing at Liberty Hall.