T2 Trainspotting - DVD

Film: Twenty years have passed since Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) robbed his mates of loads of money and ran off to Amsterdam, where he built a new life for himself. That is now in ruins and he returns home. A lot has changed here too, but a lot has stayed the same. Spud (Ewen Bremner) is still hanging on by a thread after a brief semblance of normalcy collapsed only due to the switch to daylight saving time. Simon aka Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) is just barely trying to stay afloat by blackmailing well-off men with the help of his girlfriend Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova). And Begbie (Robert Carlyle) is still in jail. Still, because just at the moment when Mark comes home, he manages to escape. And so it's not long before the wild merry-go-round of friendship, drugs, revenge, self-destruction and longing is spinning like crazy again - and it remains to be seen who will make the jump this time.

With T2 Trainspotting, Danny Boyle returns to his beginnings. A lot has changed in the twenty years that have passed since the first installment. The original has been copied countless times, but has burned itself into the collective memory of cinephiles with its visual style and patter. The actors, most notably Ewan McGregor, are no longer fresh-faced newcomers. And Boyle himself has clearly evolved artistically, even though he may always have remained true to his style at the core. But our culture has changed, too. Trainspotting worked so well because it perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the time. To repeat that so perfectly again is almost an impossibility.

And so it is probably unsurprising that Danny Boyle has failed with his sequel to create another work as groundbreaking as he managed 20 years ago. But that is not what he intended. Rather, he wanted to give all fans of the original the opportunity to indulge in nostalgia once again, while continuing to tell the story of the characters from Part 1. T2 Trainspotting is therefore a good mix of old and new. There are many allusions to the original and some direct quotes. On the other hand, it's also clear that, as much as you might want it to be, you can't stop time, or turn it back. It's a message seasoned with a slight melancholy that Boyle delivers here in an incredibly entertaining, funny and, again, visually excellent way.

You can tell the actors enjoyed getting to slip into these characters once again. Especially Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle, but luckily also Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller succeed very well in disappearing behind their roles, which clearly pushes the fun factor of T2 Trainspotting upwards. Of course, there are again some stomach-turning moments. If you've seen Part 1, you'll be able to guess what's coming. You have to be prepared for that as well as for the fact that the wheel is not reinvented here. But when the Danny Boyle of today meets the Danny Boyle of 1996, the result is something really exciting, tremendously funny and mercilessly good, which can confidently be called a worthy successor to the cult film Trainspotting. Absolutely worth seeing!

Image + Sound: As with the first installment, the visuals and soundtrack play a big part in the film. Both come off well on the DVD. Boyle's imagery is realized here with a cohesive color scheme and good overall sharpness. The soundtrack and sound design are able to flourish well in the powerful Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. This is exactly how it should be!

Extras: The bonus material kicks off with a good-humoured audio commentary from Danny Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge, who talk about what it was like to revisit the characters after twenty years, among other things. Boyle also talks about this in a very watchable conversation with his lead actors (approx. 23:49 min.). In addition, there are a whole 29 (!) cut scenes (approx. 29 min.), but these are often only very brief moments that the film doesn't really miss. Overall, though, even these cut scenes are absolutely worth watching.

Not given on the cover yet is the short documentary "Calton Athlectic" (approx. 4:15 min.), which introduces real people who seem to live similar lives to the characters in the film.

Conclusion: T2 Trainspotting is a successful return to the cult film. Danny Boyle has managed a good mix of nostalgia and consistent continuation, which once again scores with good actors and a very special aesthetic. The DVD convinces in audiovisual terms and also has a few good extras on board. For this there is a very clear: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp