An Honest Criticism of T2 Trainspotting
T2 and How It Fits into the Trainspotting Narrative:
I remember being a young adult and going to the closest local Blockbuster with my (then) friends to see pick out a movie. I remember my friend David ranting and raving about how good it was, so we decided to give it a shot. I had no clue what I was getting into, nor what the movie was about.
I wish I could see it again for the first time. Watching that film for the first time with my friends during college was really a life-changing experience, and I know it’s an experience that I will never be able to get back.
Trainspotting really blew me away back then (and still does). It really struck a chord with me, maybe because I was also a recovering heroin addict. It was by pure coincidence that David suggested this to us, as none of my friends (at least in that group) knew about my struggle. It humanized the way people might see addicts. Most movies I had seen back then didn’t do that. The scene where Renton’s withdrawal was starting to really damage him was something that personally hurt to watch (Ewan McGregor’s performance was fantastic). It stayed with me for the rest of my life. I could never forget that scene.
Onto Trainspotting 2. I was really excited to see it, I wondered how Boyle would outdo the masterpiece that was released in 1996.
To my (and many others’) dismay, he did not.
What could’ve been a thrilling comedy drama, turned out to be something half-baked and rushed. I almost left the theatre at one point. Remember the beautifully written intro monologue in Trainspotting? The new “choose life” speech was ruined by this film’s god-awful writing. It seemed like a bitter adolescent wrote it. It was just embarrassing. That was the scene that I almost left at.
T2 is nothing like the original Trainspotting. Not that I expected it to be like the first, of course, it’s still a different film. It just felt so far-removed from the original that it felt like it’d be a crime to call it a Trainspotting film. It didn’t have the same stinging hilarity. Nor did it have the excitement.
Now, it did have some heartwarming scenes. I felt heartbroken when Spud attempted suicide. I felt glad that he survived to see his happiness with his family. But it’s moments like this where it becomes apparent to me that the plot itself just feels like a hollow and saccharine attempt at a cash-grab for those, like me, looking to relive a bit of that nostalgia.
As much as this film really likes to pride itself on not being a part of the modernity and fast-paced nature of today, it ironically does just that.
That's not to say it isn't a good film. T2 is good. Although, it’s nothing more and nothing less than that. It just doesn’t hold up on its own, nor does it really make a mark on you in the same way that Trainspotting did. It’s fun to watch if you have nothing better to do. Don’t get your hopes up, though. If you’re expecting a bit of that sweet 90′s nostalgia, you’re not going to get it. Look elsewhere.
Don’t waste your time on this. Choose life. Not T2.
