‘T2 Trainspotting’

It’s rare that there can be a gap of more than two decades between a film and its sequel, and the long wait isn’t a problem. “Trainspotting” was so original when it was released 21 years ago that the characters ended up being unforgettable.

Even if you don’t know Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), Spud (Ewen Bremmer), Begbie (Robert Carlyle) and Simon (Jonny Lee Miller), it doesn’t take long to catch on to how this is a story of longtime mates who ended up going in different directions two decades ago. Those who have seen the original will be able to fully appreciate the weird humorous connections between the buddies.

If anything, the sequel shows more maturity than the original. A lot of that is the result of the players being older and going from rowdy lads to family men. Despite their growth, director Danny Boyle keeps taking these four guys back to the oddball elements that originally made them endearing enough to be remembered all these years later.

“T2” works because all four actors are great, but Mr. Carlyle takes his performance a few steps further. That’s because he’s dealing with two big elements as an absentee father and a man set on revenge. The film would have been just as strong if he had been the only character revisited.

It took 20 years to get more stories about the guys, but it was worth the wait.