While no one should expect “T2 Trainspotting” to be better than the first film, the sequel was worth the wait as the story and its characters come full circle. This is a film that is less about drug-use but a story of friendship that has suffered from betrayal and anger. Filmmaker Danny Boyle, writer John Hodge and the actors reprising their roles have given us a sequel that I highly recommend!
TITLE: T2 Trainspotting
FILM RELEASE: 2017
DURATION: 117 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:85:1 aspect ratio, English and French 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English and French – Audio Description Track, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
COMPANY: TriStar/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RATED: R (Drug Use, Language throughout, Strong Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity and Some Violence)
RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2017
Based on the Novels by Irvine Walsh
Directed by Danny Boyle
Written by John Hodge
Produced by Bernard Bellew, Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, Andrew MacDonald
Executive Producer: Allon Reich, Irvine Welsh
Cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle
Edited by Jon Harris
Casting by Gail Stevens
Production Design by Patrick Rolfe, Mark Tildesley
Art Direction by Patrick Rolfe, Adam Squires, Christopher Wyatt
Set Decoration by Orlin Grozdanov, Veronique Melery
Costume Design by Rachael Fleming, Steven Noble
Starring:
Ewan McGregor as Renton
Ewen Bremner as Spud
Johnny Lee Miller as Simon
Anjela Nedyalkova as Veronika
Kevin McKidd as Tommy
Robert Carlyle as Begbie
Kelly MacDonald as Diane
Steven Robertson as Stoddard
Shirley Henderson as Gail
Gordon Kennedy as Tulloch
James Cosmo as Renton’s Father
First there was an opportunity……then there was a betrayal. Twenty years have gone by. Much has changed but just as much remains the same. Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to the only place he can ever call home. They are waiting for him: Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), and Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Other old friends are waiting too: sorrow, loss, joy, vengeance, hatred, friendship, love, longing, fear, regret, diamorphine, self-destruction and mortal danger, they are all lined up to welcome him, ready to join the dance.
First there was an opportunity……then there was a betrayal.
The long awaited “Trainspotting” sequel from filmmaker Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge (“Trainspotting”, “The Beach”, “Trance”, “Shallow Grave”) has finally come.
Titled “T2 Trainspotting”, the story takes place twenty years later and the original stars from the first film reprise their role.
Starring Ewan McGregor (“Star Wars” films, “Big Fish”), Jonny Lee Miller (“Elementary”, “Hackers”, “Dark Shadows”), Ewen Bremmer (“Snatch”, “Black Hawk Down”, “Pearl Harbor”), Robert Carlyle (“28 Weeks Later”, “The Full Monty”, “Once Upon a Time”), Kelly MacDonald (“No Country for Old Men”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”) and Anjela Nedyalkova (“Ave”, “The Paradise Suite”, “Eastern Plays”).
NOTE: If you haven’t seen “Trainspotting”, do not read any further as it may contain spoilers:
With Mark “Rent Boy” Renton (portrayed by Ewan McGregor) having stolen money from Begbie (portrayed by Robert Carlyle) and instead of splitting with everyone, after being hospitalized with a heart problem, Renton, who has been sober for 21-years, lives a life unfulfilled, decides to return back home to Edinburgh. Back to the friends he had abandoned.
Francis “Franco” Begbie is serving a 25-year prison sentence and has been denied parole due to his temper.
Daniel “Spud” Murphy (portrayed by Ewen Bremmer) is not doing well, with a failed marriage, a drug addict and is suicidal.
Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson (portrayed by Johnny Lee Miller) is even more of a cocaine-addict who runs Port Sunshine, which he inherited and along with his Bulgarian girlfriend Veronika (portrayed by Anjela Nedyalkova), run an operation by blackmailing men and luring them into sex (and videotaping the experience).
As no one has heard from Renton for 20-years, including his family, Renton discovers that his mother passed away hoping to see him return one day.
Simon comes to visit Spud, who is attempting suicide by asphyxiating himself, but Renton comes just in time to save his life. But Spud is angry of how Renton just took off and left.
Seeing how Spud has screwed up his life with drugs, Renton tries to help Spud by getting him to workout and channeling his addiction problems to other areas in his life positively.
As for Simon, when Renton comes to visit him, Renton unleashes all that pent up anger towards Renton and beating him  But when Renton leaves him his share of the money 20-years later, Simon is not too appreciative. Wanting to open up a brothel with Veronika, Simon wants to get Renton to help him out and get the finances needed, but then to screw him over.
But unknown to any of them, Begbie has orchestrated his escape from prison and he has returned back home. And he wants nothing but to get his revenge upon Renton.
VIDEO:
“T2 Trainspotting” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio). The film looks fantastic, may it be the outdoor scenes, wonderful detail during closeups and even the darkest of scenes, the film looks fantastic on Blu-ray. I didn’t notice any banding or artifact issues during my viewing of the film.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“T2 Trainspotting” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, French, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English and French – Audio Description Track, Spanish. Dialogue and music are crystal clear, while the surround channels are primarily for crowd-driven scenes, ambiance and an action sequence, for the most part, the overall soundtrack is crystal clear.
Subtitles are in English, English SDH, Cantonese, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“T2 Trainspotting” comes with the following special features:
- Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary with Danny Boyle and John Hodge
- 20 Years in the Making: A Conversation with Danny Boyle & The Cast – (24:48) Danny Boyle sits with Ewan McGregor, Johnny Lee Miller and Rob Carlyle about returning to a “Trainspotting” film 20 years later.
- Calton Athletic Documentary: Choosing Endorphins Over Addiction – (4:23) A featurette about users discussing their addiction issues and how they changed.
- Deleted Scenes – (30:09) Featuring 29 deleted scenes.
EXTRAS:
“T2 Trainspotting” comes with a slipcover and an Ultraviolet HD Digital code.
Back in 1996, when the original “Trainspotting” film was screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, there was a lot of buzz. And not long after, when it was released in theaters, the low budget independent film would go on to make $71 million internationally and was the fourth highest grossing British film in history at the time.
The film received critical praise for the film’s ability to tape into the youth subculture of the ’80s and shows us the craziness but also the horrors of drug addiction. But also to see how a group of best friends took a chance to steal a lot of money and one of them, the main character in the film, stealing the money and disappearing.
The film utilized music to come together with its wonderful storyline and as the film became a cult hit, even ranked as high as #10 by the British Film Institute (BFI) in the list of top 100 British films of all time, many have hoped for a sequel.
And as Irvine Welsh had written the novel “Porno” in 2002 as the sequel to “Trainspotting”, filmmaker Danny Boyle said if he was to create a sequel, it would be in 2016. It’s important to note that the filmmakers did not want to trash the legacy of “Trainspotting” and wanted to create a film that was very fresh and contemporary”.
With the sequel, the film focuses on the four individuals: Mark “Rent Boy” Renton, Simon “Sick Boy” Williamson, Daniel “Spud” Murphy and Francis “Franco” Begbie.
This time around the film is less about the drugs but more on how the lives of these five individuals have changed 20 years later. Much has changed, but much have remained the same.
For Renton, his return back to Edinburgh, means confronting his best friends he betrayed. While Renton has remained sober for 20-years, unfortunately his friends have not done so well.
Spud has become a heroin addict, losing his job and his family. Simon is still addicted to cocaine and trying to find ways for he and his girlfriend Veronika to make money and he has an idea of starting a brothel.
Begbie was sentenced to prison for 25-years and figured out a plan to escape but he wants nothing more but to kill Renton. Begbie hasn’t seen his family in a very long time and he will discover a lot has changed especially with his son.
We get to see characters from the original film such as Diane, who has done quite well with her life and becoming a lawyer that Renton will need her legal assistance. And we also get to see other characters such as Renton’s father, Gail and more.
But also questions that people had about the first film, we see certain topics being confronted or at least spoken.
For the most part, I’m somewhat glad that director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge didn’t go with a true adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s “Porno” and created something fresh and new. While purists may be upset that the film sequel is quite different than its book counterpart. But the film allowed viewers to come back to what was missing in Renton’s life and that is his relationship with his childhood friends. Living with a sense of gilt for what he had done and very much hoping to see these characters turn a new leaf in their lives 20-years later.
And despite how much time has passed, Ewan McGregor, Johnny Lee Miller, Ewan Bremner and Robert Carlyle were as fantastic now as they were back then.
While the film is much different than “Trainspotting” and has less disgusting situations or even deplorable situations, because the film takes place 20-years later, there is maturation on the side of Renton and he is much a different man than he was when he was younger.
As for the Blu-ray release, picture quality is fantastic and the lossless audio features crystal clear dialogue and music. There are also numerous special features included as well.
Overall, while no one should expect “T2 Trainspotting” to be better than the first film, the sequel was worth the wait as the story and its characters come full circle. This is a film that is less about drug-use but a story of friendship that has suffered from betrayal and anger. Filmmaker Danny Boyle, writer John Hodge and the actors reprising their roles have given us a sequel that I highly recommend!
