T2: TRAINSPOTTING ■ A familiar ride
For a lot of sequels, particularly those that come years after the preceding movie, there’s a distinct undercurrent of ‘this movie doesn’t need to exist’. T2: TRAINSPOTTING is certainly no exception to this rule, with an ultimately familiar plot and the feeling that very little has been achieved between the dysfunctional friendship group.
Despite the familiarity of the narrative beats, John Hodge’s screenplay adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel PORNO, and Danny Boyle’s direction makes for well-executed and engaging storytelling. T2 really shouldn’t work as well as it does, but Boyle’s keen eye for humanising moments amid the returning foursome—Renton (Ewan McGregor), Begbie (Robert Carlyle), Spud (Ewen Bremner) and
Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller)—means that T2 is often as poignant as it is entertaining.
They’re still mostly all despicable people that are often hard to root for, except for poor Spud, yet the collective cast’s clear love of these characters shines through in gripping performances. The returning free-frame shots feel a bit overdone this time, but his winking-at-the-audience flashback moments encapsulate the feeling of the nostalgic hit that fans of the original 21-year-old movie are clearly seeking (and getting) in T2.
The plot may not lend itself to the kind of story that absolutely must be told, but the execution of an otherwise by-the-numbers sequel is so close to excellence that it’s hard to not get swept up in the lives of the ageing delinquents. T2 is by no means essential viewing on the big screen, but if you’re a fan of the original movie, you owe it to yourself to see what older and wiser actors do with characters that seem to be perpetually stuck in the past.