T2: Trainspotting (Warning: There are Some Spoilers Ahead)

Last night I got to see the follow up to the Scottish cult classic "Trainspotting". To me, and many others, Trainspotting was a great film. For 1996, it took a very dangerous and risky subject matter about Heroin, and managed to show the effects it has on the world's characters, and the ending is one of the most significant in cinema history. It is about choosing the right path in life, and that freedom of choice is a gift to all of us. Ewan McGregor cemented himself as a pretty damn good actor in that one film (hell, he was okay in Star Wars as well).

Now, 20 years later, we return to Edinburgh. The characters - Renton, Spud, Sick Boy, and Begbie - are just as we remember them with the obvious age setting in. The first thing I thought of (and something that still kind of resonates with me) is how relevant was it for Danny Boyle to make a sequel to the original? The original left off on an awesome ending. Sure, Renton betrayed his friends, but you can understand why he done it to an extent since it could have been any one of his friends who did that to him anyway. First, there is an opportunity... then there is a betrayal.
The very fact he moved on was an intriguing development. His return in this film sparks a nostalgic journey for the most part with many call backs to the first film. Thankfully, even though I don't think it reaches the same heights that the predecessor set, it was still a pretty good film in its own right, and I actually enjoyed it.

The film introduces a new character called "Veronica" who is Sick Boy's supposed girlfriend. He has been using her to hustle clients with sexual activity in order to bribe them by filming it and threatening to disgrace them. In the case of Begbie (played by Robert Carlyle. I reviewed his acting in my Barney Thomson review), his dangerous personality has been caged in prison until he lets one of his pen pals stab him in order for him to get transferred to Hospital and attempt his subsequent escape. Spud is still struggling with addiction (he is probably the most likeable character notwithstanding) , but as the film progresses, we learn of his hidden talents, and desire for a better life. And then there is the main character: Renton. There is a philosophical sense to him that I like, and since returning, his outstanding debt collection is still a burning thought for his ex-best friend Sick Boy, and the maniac Begbie. As they try to build a Sawna/Spa for Veronica, the juvenile antics of these rogues take precedence.
The dialogue is classic excellence as you'd expect, and the cinematography genuinely impressed me. After a gag about boxing (which I won't spoil), there is a scene where Spud is filmed at a Dutch angle of a road, fondly remembering a scene from the first film where Renton hits a car. And that ending sequence was glorious.

The resolution of that debt, and Begbie's comeuppance (seriously, this character was the embodiment of madness and chaos that he was actually HARROWING to watch, so to see what came of him was the highlight of the film for me) was an enjoyable experience. Ewan's accent can get distracting at times (maybe because he is losing his Scottish accent a bit?), but for this kind of revisitation after a long hiatus of Ewan working with Danny Boyle, the delve into a past generation with modern flourishes (like when Sick Boy, Renton and Veronica are using the Snapchat filters) created an experience that remains surprisingly fresh, even 20 years later. It has flaws in its plot at times, but the characters steered the film from becoming a train wreck with many humorous and poignant moments. Taking drugs and that aside, the friendship element of these films holds very strong for me as it had me reminiscing throughout.