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Home / Entertainment

First reviews for T2: Trainspotting suggest a pleasant remake with side of nostalgia

NZ Herald
4 Feb, 2017 12:00 AM3 mins to read

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Source: YouTube: Sony Pictures Releasing UK

Trainspotting 2 is just the latest reboot of a 90s property to hit New Zealand cinemas soon, and the reviews suggest it may be better than most.

Director Danny Boyle has reunited with the original stars, including Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner, for a sequel 21 years after the original came out.

T2: Trainspotting is an adaptation of Porno, a sequel to the original novel written by Irvine Welsh, that picks up 20 years after the events of the first movie.

When the movie was officially announced in 2015, it was met with worries that it would damage the good will achieved by the original.

It's now been released in the UK, and while the reviews have not be uproariously positive, reviewers say that this sequel doesn't disappoint... mostly.

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One of the most positive reviews comes from The Independent, with reviewer Geoffrey Macnab writing that Boyle "gives the story an epic scale" while crafting a "wildly invigorating and enjoyable film about subject matter which is often so dark."

"It will be intriguing to see how T2 registers with a younger audience who don't know the original film and aren't aware of all the cultural references thrown into the mix here. Older viewers, though, are likely to be delighted with a sequel which matches its predecessor both in its zest and in its emotional kick," Macnab wrote, giving the movie five stars.

In a four star, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw says that T2 was "everything I could reasonably have hoped for - scary, funny, desperately sad, with many a bold visual flourish," though criticised it for underusing the female characters.

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The film has been largely praised, though reviewers question it's modern day appeal. Photo/Supplied
The film has been largely praised, though reviewers question it's modern day appeal. Photo/Supplied

The Observer's Mark Kermode also gave it four stars, calling it as a "vibrant and welcome reunion", but also questioned if it would be appealing to a younger generation.

The movie has a 78 per cent approval rating on RottenTomatoes at the moment, down from the 90 per cent of the original. It has been given 11 negative reviews compared to 38 positive.

There appears to be a trans-atlantic difference of opinions, with American reviewers much harsher than their UK peers.

The Hollywood Reporter was amongst those criticising the sequel, with Neil Young calling it "instantly and strangely dated" after the Brexit vote, and likened its reliance on nostalgia as being akin to an "eager-to-please dog who knows only old tricks, contentedly licking up his own vomit".

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Variety similarly was negative, describing it as "shinily distracting but disappointingly unambitious" and that "for all its noise and neon, has little to say to fill it".

Kiwis will be able to judge for themselves when T2 comes out on February 27.

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