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More than 20 years ago, director Danny Boyle burst into the spotlight with his wild, drug-fueled adventure, .nightsandweekends.com/articles/09/NW0900104.php>Trainspotting. Now, in the sequel, T2 Trainspotting, he reunites with the original cast—and, as you might expect, their characters aren’t all working office jobs and living quiet lives in the suburbs.
This long-awaited sequel catches up with Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) 20 years after leaving his junkie life behind in Scotland. When he returns, he finds that not much has changed. Spud (Ewen Bremner) is still controlled by his heroin addiction. Simon (Jonny Lee Miller) is running a blackmailing scheme to pay for his cocaine habit. And Frank (Robert Carlyle) is newly escaped from prison. Once again immersed in his old world, Mark agrees to help Simon with his latest scheme, only for things to take another troubling turn.
With many sequels, a big part of the appeal is the ability to reunite with beloved characters—to see how their lives have changed and progressed in the time that’s passed. But it comes as no big surprise that things haven’t really changed or progressed for the characters in the Trainspotting sequel. While the characters in some movies grow up, settle down, and get their lives on track, these aren’t those kinds of characters. No matter how hard they may have tried, they haven’t been able to turn their lives around. They’re still controlled by their various addictions—and that’s cost them their jobs, their families, and their freedom. Even Mark, who seems to be the most settled, has his reasons for returning to his old neighborhood. And all of that makes for a bittersweet reunion—because, for these characters, little has changed in two decades. They’re troubled and tormented, still holding on to memories of days long past.
In a way, that makes sense; after all, not everyone outgrows the rebellion of their youth. Not everyone settles into the suburban life of classic sitcoms. But the fact that these characters have changed so little in 20 years—and that they’re so clearly obsessed with the past—makes the whole thing even more depressing. Like the original, it has some thought-provoking moments, some difficult moments, and some moments of hilarity—but it’s also longer and more drawn-out. And though fans of the original will enjoy following along with these characters on yet another gritty and sometimes wildly amusing caper, it wasn’t necessarily worth the 20-year wait.
If you loved Trainspotting, you won’t want to pass up the chance to reconnect with the characters and join them on one more crazy adventure. But it feels a bit like showing up for your high school class reunion to find that everyone still hangs out in the same places with the same people; it’s just a little sad.
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