T2 Trainspotting (2017)

My first thought upon learning about the existence of this sequel to director Danny Boyle's breakout 1996 film about heroin addiction, friendship and betrayal on the mean streets of Edinburgh is that, in spite of the original films open ending, a sequel wasn't necessary. Well I was wrong, T2 is not just an excuse to get the boys back together two decades on, but works as the second half of a now complete whole. It shows the consequences of decisions made in the first film, the effects of the passage of times on the characters and the world around them, peoples natural gravity to behavioral consistency, but also their ability to change. Lighter in tone then the first film, this is more enjoyable viewing then the original,  though not as substantive, and a little less of an achievement. Yet it is still quite an achievement, this shows what the recent cinematic propensity to long bleated sequels is capable of achieving. One of the best films of the year so far. ****