Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller
Storyline
First there was an opportunity......then there was a betrayal. Twenty years have gone by. Much has changed but just as much remains the same. Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to the only place he can ever call home. They are waiting for him: Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), and Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Other old friends are waiting too: sorrow, loss, joy, vengeance, hatred, friendship, love, longing, fear, regret, diamorphine, self-destruction and mortal danger, they are all lined up to welcome him, ready to join the dance.
Writers: John Hodge, Irvine Welsh, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewan McGregor, Logan Gillies, Ben Skelton, Aiden Haggarty, Daniel Smith, Elijah Wolf, Robert Carlyle, Steven Robertson, Ewen Bremner, John Kazek, Shirley Henderson, Charlie Hardie, Scott Aitken, Gordon Kennedy, Jonny Lee Miller, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Ewan McGregor -
Renton
Logan Gillies -
Simon (aged 9)
Ben Skelton -
Renton (aged 9)
Aiden Haggarty -
Spud (aged 9)
Daniel Smith -
Begbie (aged 9)
Elijah Wolf -
Tommy (aged 9)
Robert Carlyle -
Begbie /
Begbie's Father
Steven Robertson -
Stoddart
Ewen Bremner -
Spud
John Kazek -
Tom (Rehab Group)
Shirley Henderson -
Gail
Charlie Hardie -
Fergus (aged 9)
Scott Aitken -
Farmer
Gordon Kennedy -
Tulloch
Jonny Lee Miller -
Simon
Trivia:
This is the first sequel that Danny Boyle has directed and the second sequel overall that he has produced (Boyle produced 28 Weeks Later (2007), the sequel to 28 Days Later... (2002)). He was considered as director for the fourth movie in the Alien franchise (which ultimately became Alien: Resurrection (1997), but passed on the opportunity over creative differences with the studio, and went on to do A Life Less Ordinary (1997) instead. See more »
Goofs:
While riding across the Forth Road bridge towards Fife, the Queensferry Crossing bridge can be seen out the left side of the window, this means that they are in fact heading in the other direction, towards Edinburgh. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
Sequels long after its original is always risky business. Especially
one that I did not think needed it. But director Danny Boyle is back
with a follow-up to one of the most influential British films of
all-time.
I had only seen Trainspotting for the first time several years ago. I
remember being quite impressed by it, despite me never going nuts for
drug-related films. I was more interested by the style of film- making
and well developed characters. It also contain one of the most
distressing scenes I have seen in any film.
21 years later, and now we see where the lads are now. I saw the
trailer to see if it's going to be worth it, and I was surprised how
good it looked. Some of the dialogue I was hearing sounded like we were
instantly back in this mad environment. With the trailer doing plenty
to get me intrigued, I had pretty solid hopes for a worth sequel.
Amazingly, I felt it managed to all come together. For something that
I'm sure Boyle holds very dearly to his heart, you would expect him to
never go near this work again. Especially when he has never done a
sequel before. But we are now here, and I think everyone did a grand
job. I did not get the sense that the makers made this for an easy box
office return. I felt it was there to be an actual follow-up to the
events from 1996, which is fantastic to see. The tone is definitely
being aimed at the people who grew up with the original. With that in
mind, it will be interesting to see how it works to the generation that
are of the age the cast were in the original, and see if it can relate
to a broad age range.
The gang are back, and all four of them were great in their
performances. Honestly, it was like they had never left. Ewan McGregor
holds the film well as Renton, has many strong moments and you can tell
he is enjoying getting back in the saddle. Roberty Carlyle continues to
be as hilarious as Begbie was back in the day. Ewen Bremner as Spud
shines the most for me, was given great development and became such a
pivotal part of this sequel. I was really surprised to see Johnny Lee
Miller give a great performance, as it is only recently that he has got
back into movie acting after being busy with a TV series.
Another thing some sections of the audience like to see with sequels,
is the level of nostalgia. The use of that and memory was cleverly
done. It felt like it meant something, instead of just making us think
"I'd rather be watching the original".
I have only very minor negatives. There were moments that felt a bit
scattered at times and did not feel that well connected to the main
story.
I was not expecting this to be so enjoyable. Boyle and his done have
done a great job by keeping this a down-to-earth story and making feel
like it deserves a second installment. I think what the films big
strengths are, is what made the original so successful. The characters
are still as memorable as ever, the writing is sharp and funny when
needed, the visuals are engrossing and impactful, and the soundtrack is
strong. They also managed to make the film worth seeing for people who
haven't even seen the original, which was impressive to see.
When you think about it, a lot of Danny Boyle's work is about
friendship, and this one is no different. I will continue to be excited
for his next project, after making what will probably one of the big
surprises of 2017. What a start to the year!
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