Trainspotting was a defining film for me. It came out in my final year of school and it played a big part in making me want to be a filmmaker.This sequel, although stylishly shot, really doesn't come up to the original's standards, and it's mostly down to the suspension of disbelief being broken through inconsistencies.Begbie suddenly has a family who have sprung up from out of nowhere and I just didn't buy it for one second. The character of Veronika is charming, but she just feels like a hastily re-written replacement for Diane and it would have been far more nostalgic had Kelly MacDonald taken that place as Diane in the film, becasue it seems like most of the conversations that Renton and Veronika have were meant for him and Diane.Apart from that, the pacing feels quite choppy and inconsistent. Bar Sickboy and Renton, the guys don't really hang around together than much in the film, and now that Begbie is pretty much the villain of the piece he is almost totally removed from the group for the majority of the movie, so all that original chemistry feels fractured.Add to this the story about building a sex sauna just isn't interesting and it doesn't come near the original film's pure character struggles with the heavy drug element.It's not a bad film by any means, but it lacks the absorbing grab factor of the original, and while there are moments of greatness, it's just lost in a pretty bland story with weak motivations and a inconsistent narrative, most of which feels forced. It felt like they had a decent idea but had to re-write bits and then cram it in to a sub standard reason to have them all together again.Worth a look for sure, but for me it falls short.

This movie was actually something that caught me by surprise, as I didn't know about it prior to finding it by sheer luck.The first "Trainspotting" movie was definitely unique, so I had high hopes for the sequel.However, it was slower paced and had a much less interesting story in comparison to the first movie.They took way too long in between the two movies, so this sequel feels obsolete already and seems rather pointless."T2 Trainspotting" has some good acting from a nicely cast ensemble of actors, and it is nice to see the original actors return to reprise their characters. It was of course nice to see Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner and so forth to perform here and brining more insanity to the screen. For me, it was a particular treat to see Robert Carlyle back, because his character was by far the most interesting in the first movie.Adequately entertaining for sure, but nothing outstanding here in this sequel.

Trainspotting was one of the best films of the 1990's, as a party loving 20 something at the time there were so many things about it that I could relate to (not heroin though!). And it was a film crying out for a sequel, what happened to those characters? Well two decades on and we find out. I never for a moment expected this to be on par with the original. And it isn't. This may sound harsh but I felt that A-lister McGregor just went through the motions, even the great Robert Carlyle wasn't the Begbie of the original. The soundtrack of the original was fantastic, the same can't be said for the sequel. There are a few funny moments here but again they can't compete. Like so many people I have waited a long time for this film and it's quite good, but also somewhat disappointing. I could watch the original over and over but doubt that I'd give T2 a second viewing.

UK 2017 English (Colour); Drama (TriStar); 117 minutes (18 certificate)Crew includes: Danny Boyle (Director); John Hodge (Screenwriter, adapting Novels PORNO and TRAINSPOTTING by Irvine Welsh); Andrew Macdonald, Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, Bernard Bellow (Producers)Cast includes: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlisle, Kelly Macdonald, Anjela NedyalkovaA former addict (McGregor) returns to Edinburgh after 20 years to be reunited with his three junkie ex-mates (suicidal Bremner, blackmailing Miller, psycho jailbird Carlisle), and tries to make amends for betraying them back then.Long-time-in-coming sequel to 1996's cult hit is just about worthwhile; funny and repulsive in equal measure, and not for everyone.