3/4  85%
Action: 2/3 + Comedy: 2/2 + Good vs Evil: 1/1 + Love/Sex: 1/1 + Special Effects: 0.5/1 + Plot: 1/1 + Music: 1/1 = 8.5/10 or 85%.

Trainspotting begs the viewer to choose life and a car, the normal hum-drum ways of game show viewing on a ... (read full)

3.5/4  Trainspotting Quick Review
Electrifying satire!

3.5/4  Trainspotting Quick Review
Amazing film with equally good directing. This movie really gets into the mind of an heroin addict. The unreal scenes, toilet diving and ceiling walking babies, really drove home this creative movie.

1.5/4  Trainspotting Quick Review
I had a hard time understanding what was going on in the movie. The accent was very thick and the pacing was fast. Maybe on another view I may understand it better, but I was not impressed.

1/5 Blu-Ray release isnt worth the upgrade
  by B. Sims (SoCal)
This Blu-ray release, is not worth buying. The detail is subtly increased, but overall, but that is about it. The colors fail to pop, the transfer is flat. It fails to really stand out like it could. The worst part about this release though- no extras- none at all. They failed to include anything. The one and only option you get is French or English audio. Period. It doesn't even have a menu- the movie auto plays. If you are buying this movie on Blu-ray, understand what you're getting, slightly better detail, thats it. Hope for a better release.

5/5 Nothing Less than a Masterpiece
  by S. Nicholas (Virginia)
It's no surprising mystery that people are stupid, so of course Trainspotting has it's naysayers. That being said, this film is brilliant. Trainspotting is easily one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's hilarious for one, unavoidably engaging in its entirety, and graphically disturbing. It's black and white masterfully intertwined. An excellent source of introspection and social comparison, these are several aspects a free-thinking, cannabis connaisseur such as myself thoroughly enjoys each time I view it. I mean it's hard not to, heroin injection is disgusting and it should make you cringe and feel uncomfortable, which in turn further activates your mind. Danny Boyle and the film crew's biggest success is how in the end they neither glorified nor condemned the 'wonderful world that is heroin addiction'. They simply paint the lifestyle for what it is and leave the viewer to formulate their own thoughts, which is what this ride is all about. It's not about reading someone else's books and pawning off their sayings as your own, it's about freeing your mind and thinking for yourself. In that right Trainspotting separates from the hordes of movies made to date and stands in a select group few others will ever join.

There's a saying that goes, "it's unhealthy to leave things on a negative note."

I can't think of any other movie the ends with a more positive feeling than this, despite some of the things Rents goes on to list...

This one's worth the purchase!

5/5 A well balanced mixture of pleasure and pain helps create an honest depiction of depravity...
  by Andrew Ellington (Mulholland Drive)
There are truly a lot of films about drug abuse, but there are a select few that shed light on the brutality of it. I've reviewed films such as `Requiem for a Dream' and `Panic at Needle Park', two films that show the drastic measures some will go in destroying themselves for a fix; and it's within those films that the haunting realities of drug addiction becomes so real to the audience. `Trainspotting' is similar in its honesty, yet it differs in its direction. Some have been put off from the way that `Trainspotting' portrays drug abuse, but in my personal opinion the slight comedic edge the film possesses adds yet another layer of honesty to the film.

Boyle's masterpiece shows the light and the dark side of addiction.

The film centers around a group of friends who area all heavy into heroin. They all at times strive for a better existence but are more often than not taken over by their carnal desires. The film simply observes their conduct and exposes the reasons they stay hooked as well as the reasons they wish they weren't.

What is so devastating about `Trainspotting' is that it nearly blindsides you with its shocking moments of truth. This technique works very well, for it generates in us pure and genuine outbursts of emotion. Some have mentioned a certain scene involving an infant; a scene so raw and heart-stopping that I was literally in tears. These are the moments that benefit from the films wicked mixture of drama and humor, for it makes the impact of these scenes even more devastating. We are friends with these people (even though we really shouldn't be) and so to watch them crumble under the weight of their disease is heartbreaking.

The film is propelled by a commanding performance by Ewan McGregor. He captures every ounce of Renton's immaturity as well as his worldly knowledge and strive for betterment. He is engaging, entertaining, likable and relatable. He's aided by a very strong cast that includes Robert Carlyle and it is here that we are introduced to the luminous Kelly Macdonald (of `No Country for Old Men' fame). Macdonald is one of my favorites here, for her slick mix of sensuality and impish dominance is pure gold. I just loved watching her.

Danny Boyle's magical talents are on full display here. I know he is a household name now thanks to his Oscar winning film `Slumdog Millionaire', but honestly he is in top form in his earlier work (see also his ravenous work on '28 Days Later'). I've always been a fan of his, and this is probably his best work. Visually he is captivating, but he juggles both the witty and the ominous with such strength. It's a flawless culmination of the two.

This film is as shocking as it is engrossing; as repulsive as it is engaging. There are few films that are daring enough to be this honest.

4/5 heroin sitcom, with a liberal dose of horror thrown in
  by Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France)
This is a story about a bunch of stupid losers, who have nothing at the center of their lives, so they became addicts, drunks, and thieves. What is amazing about it is how blackly funny they all are, as they dive into toilets, allow babies and friends to die, burst into violent rages, and seek some kind of fantastical out. The acting is so good that you can believe all of their chaotic lives that can go nowhere but down or prison. Will the narrator turn his life around with his latest scan and last chance? You assume so, but don't know.

Recommended. Cult classic. And that young Ian McGregor! First rate.

5/5 horribly good
  by Osorio Batres Silvia Rebeca (Guatemala city Guatemala)
This is a horribly amusing movie full of witty little lessons. I think it works wonders on curious teenagers. I saw this movie at a critical time in my life and after seeing it there is no way in hell I would ever willingly get hooked on anything except life. Some people are disgusted by this movie because of what drugs are shown to do but truly this is just a drop in the ocean. This will be in my top ten for the forseeable future.