T2 Trainspotting

"Porno" wasn't a great Irvine Welsh book, but at least it introduced new characters and updated us on the whereabouts of the original Trainspotting crew. The "prequel" Skag Boys was to my mind much much better.

The problem is, Porno couldn't really be filmed, as it concentrates on the filming of pornography. So instead, some elements (but not many) of it have been lifted to make T2, but most of T2 is "original". It's around 5% Porno if that.

However, I'd estimate that maybe 10 minutes in total of T2 is direct samples of the first film. Sure, have a bit of it in there, but we all know that T2 is a sequel of a film famous enough to have stuck in our memories. And I felt that constant referring back was after a while unnecessary, and intrusive.

There wasn't a single scene in "T2" that could hold up to anything in the original. Not one.

Look, I'm glad I saw it, but it's not something I'd really watch again more than once. Some films are classics because they are of their time: Trainspotting; Pulp Fiction; the Big Lebowski; Withnail and I. Trying to do a sequel for any of them is going to be a pointless exercise, you could never do one that holds a candle to the original.

What Boyle and co have tried to do in "T2" could have been much worse; but it couldn't have been much better either. The past is the past, and we should leave it there.

Got to say. I HATED this film the first time I watched it. It wasn't the film I wanted it to be, and it definitely wasnt the film it should have been (Porno) - BUT.

My God I was wrong.

I don't know what changed, or what made me want to give it another go but I'm very glad I did.

The film brings is upto date with the main characters of the first film is such a well thought and done way. None of them have made a particular good job of getting their lives on track, and that's OK. Because, how many of us have?

It's a truly thoughtful look at what it means for a bunch of friends that once meant so much to each other and then lost track and meet up again. The bad vibes are all there, the good memories.

The memories and nostalgia the film evokes within itself is amazing. Spuds role especially, that - That's just pure genius topped with a giant 'I've think I've thought of a title" shaped cherry.

I see many bad reviews of this film, and get it. I really do. I personally told as many people i could to avoid this film if they had any love for the first one.

And now I feel like I've done them a disservice.

Please, give this film a second chance and don't expect it tell you the story you want.

Let it tells its own story because it definitely deserves the chance.

An immensely challenging sequel to produce; Danny Boyle's reprisal was never going to satisfy old fans and newcomers alike.

After twenty years, there would be obvious ambiguity in how to go about writing and directing this cult-classics' sequel. 2017 is brimming with sequels of both original movies and installments to well-established series; thus this may be a recurring issue in the near future. T2 Trainspotting is very clearly a movie made for the fans of the original, for people who loved the first film but haven't watched it in years, and have fond memories of it. This film preys upon the fact that some people will be so wound up in their own nostalgia that they won't give this film the independence from the original it needed.

T2 struggles to declare itself a story of its own; literal scenes from the original Trainspotting are shown to portray a reflection on the past repeating itself; but all that this shows is an unwillingness to write a completely original plot. It is likely Danny Boyle did this to appease fans, as going in a completely different direction would then annoy those who are devoted to the first film.

The story has a great premise; the Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to Scotland and meets with the lovable Spud (Ewen Bremner) and best-pal Simon (Jonny Lee Miller) once again - much to their initial disgust. Not long after, the return of Begbie (Robert Carlyle) fills the plot with more drama than a soap opera. The events that take place are mostly for comedic purpose, under the premise that the audience already know the characters (fair to assume, but not taking into account standalone viewers). A specific scene in which Simon and Mark are forced to perform a song in a loyalist pub had me laughing out loud in the cinema; so often the attempts at making the film light- hearted were received with a good response.

That being said, one of the things about the original is that it wasn't light hearted in the slightest. The characters were the only thing lovable about the film, not what happened to them necessarily, whereas T2 swaps this around - the environments were far more ostentatious in this film, bright neon lighting and fewer disgusting and dull backdrops make for a more optimistic view in this film - quite the opposite of what the original was about. It seems in trying to appease the fans of the original and placing the same characters in a repetitive-yet more flamboyant setting has managed to stray from the roots of what made Trainspotting great.

T2 could have been set anywhere provided the main characters still acted in the way that they do, and that's a shame - every piece of Trainspotting was necessary to put together the plot that was made.

Despite all of this - T2 is a good film. It's not a great film, but it certainly isn't awful either. Its' greatest failing is that it can't decide whether to create an entirely new story - which would abandon the roots of the original - or to re-hash Trainspotting - which would be total cowardice. The film does the worst of both worlds, in that it doesn't have a great deal of original thought but it also doesn't capture what the first film did.

On its own merits, T2 is a funny film; and it is enjoyable to watch. I didn't leave the theatre as disappointed as I would have anticipated, and the film didn't fail to put a smile on my face during. Despite the 20 year gap, the actors clearly haven't lost track of their alter-ego's nature - the performances were great and the chemistry that the actors had was immense, with a gleaming nod to Robert Carlyle.

I can still say I recommend T2, its not like the original in terms of quality or theme, but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself. I can make an odd comparison to another sequel, Aliens, in that both T2 and Aliens are very enjoyable, but both films also spoil the point of their predecessor in a sense.

T2 is all you could hope a sequel can be. Independent and respectful to its predecessor while standing on its own merits as a great movie, art even, powerful maybe. 20 years on things have changed,mostly. It's funny,sad and mature above all else. Boyles directing is complemented with a great script and beautiful cinematography. On to the important aspects, the film plays cleverly With nostalgia without depending on it,giving the audience of the 1996 cult classic something to savor, while also standing independently as an entertaining and even inventive film. Performances are a solid as you'd expect, Robert Carlyle returns in a fantastic albeit expected performance as begbie. The film introduces the advancement in technology over the intervening years with inventive and clever special effects, however the original also boasted some amazing trick of the lens. Finally upon leaving the cinema one gets a feeling of bittersweet and sorrowful fulfillment, the characters we've come to know over the last 20 years hive us nearly two hours of nostalgia packed entertainment, yet one can't help but long for its energetic,frenetic and classic predecessor, no matter how good its sequel is, and it is.

It's an OK movie. Don't really need to see the first one to like the second one, as it's about four people reconnecting with each other after twenty years, and most of the story's content is like that. Although, most of the plot does revolve around what happen in the original movie and is implemented with the idea that you did see the first one as Mark stupidly returns to his old stomping grounds knowing he stole money from his "mates"(As they say across the pond) and you can only imagine what happen afterwards.

The Franco character was the most interesting to catch up with. Despite spending most of his time in jail since the last movie, he seemed to have the most interesting situation to come back to, with a wife who did not truly miss him and a son who's becoming a man far different than the one he is as Franco has the same mentality he had when he got locked up, that no longer fits.

When we last left Mark, it seemed like he was going to do something more with his life, but as it turned out that was not the case as he has some what of a mid-life crisis when he realized his life sucks.

While Sick Boy (Now preferring Simon) and Spud seem to be stuck where they were Twenty Years ago (It happens, especially when drugs are in the mix).

T2 does not seem as lively as the originally, but in many ways this makes perfect sense, as the movie is all about getting older, and the type of person you are in your Twenties vs. who your are later in life.

It has it's amusing moments, but it does make me question weather Danny Boyle made this sequel simply for nostalgia reasons. He does not seem like that type of filmmaker, yet this movie falls into the great sequel trap as I felt not enough has changed in the past twenty years and I was expecting more.

Although I did like how the film making was done to reflected how these characters have not changed. Using a lot of camera angles and other tricks Boyle did in the very first movie.

I like the first movie, but not that much to really care about T2, but it did make me wonder what would happen next to these guys. For those of you who did love the original that much, I think you are in for a little bit of a let down.

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