{"id":7381,"date":"2017-01-30T17:20:54","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T17:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/?p=7381"},"modified":"2017-01-30T18:11:43","modified_gmt":"2017-01-30T18:11:43","slug":"t2-trainspotting-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cvm.org.uk\/blog\/reviews\/t2-trainspotting-18\/","title":{"rendered":"T2: Trainspotting (18)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dir: Danny Boyle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a tourist in your own youth \u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Choose life.\u00a0 Choose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and hope that someone, somewhere cares. Choose looking up old flames, wishing you’d done it all differently and choose watching history repeat itself \u2026 Choose being challenged and engaged by an incredible sequel to one of the coolest films of all time.<\/p>\n

Here we are then, after 20 years Director Danny \u2018Steve Jobs\u2019 Boyle brings Irvine Welsh\u2019s druggie scallywags back to the big screen in this powerful sequel based loosely on the novel Porno. Much has changed – Mark \u2018Rent-boy\u2019 Renton (Ewan McGregor) has escaped the drugs ironically living in Amsterdam \u2013 but nagging regrets about ripping off his friends sees him return to the only place he can ever really call home.<\/p>\n

Waiting for him are his old \u2018pals\u2019 – lifetime loser Spud (Ewen Bremner), Simon \/ \u2018Sick Boy\u2019 (Jonny Lee Miller), and furious psycho Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Also there is Diane (Kelly Macdonald) Renton\u2019s \u2018one that got away\u2019 and a host of sorrow, loss, joy, vengeance, hatred, friendship, love, longing, fear, regret, heroin, self-destruction, oh, and mortal danger \u2026<\/p>\n

New to the troubled goings on is Veronika (the excellent Anjela Nedyalkova), she\u2019s Simon\u2019s girlfriend \/ partner in a criminal activity but she immediately catches Renton\u2019s eye which could put strain on their already fraught relationship. Cue violence, sex, swearing (so much swearing) and all sorts of negative behaviour that is liable to offend so approach with caution.<\/p>\n

While T2 can\u2019t hope to match the iconic freshness of the original, it certainly brings a fascinating take on a full on cinematic mid-life nostalgia. Perhaps it\u2019s because I\u2019m the same age as Renton but his seeking for meaning and redemption is one that I can see resonating with many who pause to take stock of their lives. Just what have you achieved? Who really loves you and who do you really care about? What is there left for you going forward?<\/p>\n

Boyle does a great job of delivering both a reality check for sentimental fans of the original and a cool account of the further chaos that follows these characters around like restless malevolent shadows. The cinematography is excellent, there\u2019s a pumping new soundtrack which includes the awesome \u2018Silk\u2019 by Wolf Alice and some great vibrant jumbled visuals that keep this very much in the vein of the first film.<\/p>\n

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Thinking Material<\/h2>\n

Life \u2013 what\u2019s it all about eh? T2 really hits home with the self-analysis of its leading male characters which is refreshing as this isn\u2019t something tackled enough by mainstream movies. When Spud decides to end it all \u2013 his farewell note to his long suffering wife is one of the most tragic things you\u2019ll ever witness (it\u2019s also on the excellent soundtrack set to sounds of Underworld \u2013 which is really worth a listen even if you\u2019re not planning to see the film).
\nThe nostalgic memories of childhood, teenage antics, student days and working life can be viewed through overly fond \u2018rosy glasses\u2019 and the disappointment of reality can be a crushing blow. Who doesn\u2019t have a dream, a girl, a project, a friend or aspiration that never worked out and now seems beyond reach. The truth is you can\u2019t always rekindle the energy, joy or excitement of youth but rather the key is surely to find satisfaction in where you are and who you are now. Having a faith is not a glib \u2018cover all\u2019 which will protect you from disappointment or regret but it can be a positive way of accepting life as it is and looking forward with renewed hope. It\u2019s also a lot better than trying to find a coping mechanism in drugs which is one of the pitfalls highlighted by Trainspotting.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all addicts of some sort, so be addicted – just be addicted to something better. Choose the ones you love. Choose your future. Choose life. Choose T2 Trainspotting.<\/p>\n

Rating:
\n*****<\/h3>\n

4 out of 5 stars
\nRelated Films:<\/strong> Trainspotting, Human Traffic, The Acid House<\/p>\n

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