8 reasons why diehard fans will love Trainspotting 2

T2 Trainspotting (known herein as T2) is out in cinemas next Friday. We saw it last night and it's clear that this sequel is strictly for the diehard fans who've been waiting 20 years to find out what the hell happened to Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie.

With its constant flashbacks and references to the original film, it's not really made for the neutral viewer who hasn't seen Trainspotting before. Granted, they'll be able to understand what's going on, but it's doubtful they'll be able to enjoy T2 to the fullest.

So here's eight reasons why the OG Trainspotters will love the new movie. Read on to get suitably hyped for the film's official release.

We knew before T2 came out that it would be based on Porno, the novel that follows on from Trainspotting. But to what extent, we weren’t actually sure (save for some choice hints in the trailer). Well, Irvine Welsh buffs will be pleased to know that T2 takes heavily from the plot of Porno, with some key parts rewritten, so that if you’ve read the book, the film won’t be totally spoiled for you.

What definitely hasn’t been changed is Sickboy’s love of a scam, Renton’s turbulent return to Edinburgh, Spud’s Groundhog Day-esque search for salvation and, of course, Begbie’s violent, volatile nature (though his personality is actually toned down in comparison to the one that’s committed to print). And it’s great to see the gallows humour and relentless double crossing of Porno come to life on screen.

The never-ending greenery of Rannoch Moor provides a cleansing break from the desolate, skag-stained parts of Leith, Edinburgh in the original, so it’s refreshing to see the boys go back for another dose of countryside air. There’s no rant about why being Scottish is “shite” this time, neither is there the deceased Tommy who joined Spud, Sick Boy and Renton there 20 years ago. Tommy’s the exact reason a few home truths come to the fore between Sick Boy and Renton, but if anywhere is the place to let it all out, this beautiful part of Scotland is it.

Renton’s old bedroom hasn’t changed a bit, either – still plastered with train wallpaper and housing old David Bowie records – and Spud has a moment of complete bewilderment when he sees a shoplifter doing a runner down the same road he and Renton did at the beginning of the original. Renton, an Amsterdam resident for the last 20 years, hasn’t been back to Scotland once, so it’s completely understandable why Danny Boyle took him and the gang on a trip down memory lane.

As you’d expect, Begbie is a tour de force throughout T2. He’s out of jail, out of touch (he can’t handle the fact that his now teenage son’s studying hotel management, for instance) and out for revenge (watch out Renton). The hard man’s thirst for ultra violence was the foil for many of Trainspotting’s thrills and spills and the same goes for the sequel – but his character also turns in the most tender moment of the film, too. This is all the result of Begbie’s return to reality, in which he finds himself impotent (quite literally) and adrift from a family that’s getting on just fine without him, thank you very much. Robert Carlyle turns in a good performance, stalking the film like a great white shark looking for blood.

Even the most forgiving person would want to annihilate a so-called best mate who stole money from them. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the sniff-happy, cash-obsessed Sick Boy lashes out at Renton when he turns up in the decaying beauty that’s the Port Sunshine pub. No matter how much disdain he’s got towards his old shooting-up partner, though, he can’t help but indulge in some proper middle-age bromance with his childhood pal (see: Sick Boy’s living room scene). Fights, lies and deception all happen (Renton’s not exactly innocent here. See more below), but when it really, really matters, their deep-running love for each other comes through. Renton’s blood does run in Sick Boy’s veins after all.

Ahhh, Renton. The man with chiseled good looks and a warm heart, who just so happens to love ripping off his mates. Twenty years have passed but nothing’s changed; our chief protagonist is still struggling between being a nice guy and an absolute wanker.

Having nicked £16k off his friends and walked out into the world a man free of the constraints of heroin and Leith at the end of Trainspotting, we now rejoin his life as it begins falling apart again. His relationship is in tatters, he missed his own mother’s funeral, he’s become the very thing that he hates (he’s been handling ‘stock management for the retail sector’ for a living) and as he returns to Scotland to start over, he finds out he still loves a bit of mischief.

It seems his old friends bring out the worst in him and he becomes as two-faced as ever, while maintaining the bonds that hold the old gang together. Illustrating this perfectly are two contrasting scenes: one where Sickboy tries to drown him with Coca Cola and another where he pours water all over Spud’s dehydrating face during an epiphanic jog.

At one point he proclaims, “I’m 46 and I’m fucked!” And therein lies one of the central themes of the film: the crisis of middle age masculinity. While the female characters are all getting on with life (Spud’s ex girlfriend Gail is raising their teenage boy successfully, Renton’s ex Diane has become a lawyer), the men are deluded and failing miserably. Will they ever learn? Watch the film and find out.

“Be addicted to something else,” Renton tells Spud high up on the Edinburgh hills. The former’s swapped needles for running shoes since he’s been in Amsterdam and wants his effortlessly hopeless pal to focus on something other than the next ‘hit’. Let’s be honest, all the odds are stacked against Spud. Other than a lot of love, he’s not got much else to give the world (see: that classic interview scene in the first Trainspotting). Yet, with Gail now looking after their son alone and Renton back in town, the comical Spud’s intent on getting clean. And with those big, bulging puppy eyes, the watcher really wants him to as well. As always, he’s caught in the crossfire of his pals’ fallouts, but that’s never actually been that much of a bad thing for old Spud, has it? Maybe he'll write a story about it one day...

It wouldn’t be a proper sequel if it didn’t have a penchant for counter culture and general disdain for ‘The Man’. A rerub of the original ‘mantra’ was released well ahead of T2’s release, this time calling out social media, revenge porn and zero hours contracts, so we knew to expect a scathing commentary on society at large. The film is littered with references to CCTV and surveillance, online banking and gentrification, making for an uneasy sense of paranoia throughout.

While the film may not quite have lived up to some people’s expectations, we can all agree that T2 is genuinely funny, packed with jokes that span the humour spectrum, from morbid to slapstick (and sometimes both). Trainspotters should look out for the scene in the Protestant community pub, Renton’s reunion with Spud, the footy chat and, of course, numerous visual gags thrown in by director Danny Boyle.

Seb Wheeler and Dave Turner wouldn't mind attending press screenings more often. Hit us up!