An electrically charged homage to British pop culture.

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2011)

At initial glance, Trainspotting, dealing with somewhat rather controversial issues, seems horrendously sickening. Despite this, taking Trainspotting for what it is, Danny Boyle's second venture into the world of film seems rather uplifting and invigorating despite the somewhat macabre storyline. Clearly making references and paying tribute to many independent pioneers of pop cultural ladened films, it surprised me to discover that Trainspotting is in fact based on the novel of the same name. Despite such a fresh and promising film, Trainspotting when examined under close scrutiny seems rather unextraordinary. Although performances from most of the cast are rather nice, with special praise going to Ewan McGreggor and Robert Carlyle, the storyline still seems to be rather void of any life; it instead has to rely upon it's pop cultural references and controversial themes to keep both the plot and its audience plodding along nicely. Trainspotting is ultimately a fantastic homage to all things, admittedly not the best selection, British. It's because of this, and with some rather nice camera work, that the audience deems it acceptable to look over any minor errors that stop this film from becoming a brilliant piece of British cinema.