Watch: Full price if you're a fan, Netflix if you're a casual
Full disclosure:
I'm an American, grew up in Seattle, and moved to Glasgow a couple years ago, so the Trainspotting culture has never been engrained in me as much as most people who are enthusiastic for this film.
That said, Trainspotting 2 was surprisingly really good.
Like: it feels like T2 (that's what it's actually called) is the main movie and the first one is a prequel.
The character arcs are better, the story is grim, and it just feels better all around.
That's not me slagging off the first film; you need to see it to fully get the emotions behind the decisions made in this one, but I'm saying that somehow they pulled off making a sequel to a much-loved movie with deep cultural ties...and they did it better.
It's mostly a story of middle-age consequences to making terrible decisions early in life. Some do decent, some don't change much, and some spiral into the inability to make any good decisions anymore.
There's quite a few emotional bits and the characters are even stronger this time around.
All in all: it's not a film for everyone (and especially not for those looking for a feel-good time). It's a gritty look at the reality of being a fuckup and it feels more real than a lot of stories out there.
But in a really good way