Trainspotting - The Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Even more exciting than the slam-bang freshman feature from some fresh-faced new director that blows everyone away is the crucial follow-up: The sophomore feature. The one that proves to the world that a director’s really got the goods, or if their previous work a total fluke. This is the one that matters, the one that defines their careers moving forward.

For Quentin Tarantino, he followed up the Sundance favorite Reservoir Dogs with the genre-defying, film-redefining classic Pulp Fiction. Paul Thomas Anderson rebounded from a disaster of a film taken away from him in the editing process and made Boogie Nights, one of the greatest films of the century.

Danny Boyle made his debut with Shallow Grave (also a part of the Criterion Collection) and showed the world what he was capable of as a filmmaker. He took a derivate plot about a group of friends who find a bag of money and chaos ensues, and makes something taut, exciting, and incredible. All his trademarks were there (not quite yet refined) along with a young cast of actors he’d work with again and again throughout the years. But his second feature film, Trainspotting, made only two short years later, was a seminal work. One for the ages.

Trainspotting is about a group of young, dangerous hoodlums in Scotland in the 1990s. They get loaded, they fight, they screw, they dry out, they go to jail—rinse and repeat, the cycle goes on and on. The “plot” if there is such a thing in this case, most closely follows Renton (Ewan McGregor), a heroin addict occasionally looking to go clean, occasionally looking for his next fix.

We also follow friends in his circle and their various misadventures. There’s Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller), who may be a sociopath, but next to genuine psychopath Begbie (Robert Carlyle), he looks practically straight-laced. Spud (Ewen Bremner) is Renton’s closest friend, a sweet-natured screwup who just can’t seem to keep his nose clean. And, of course, there’s poor Tommy (Kevin McKidd), a straight arrow who stumbles into the world and lifestyle of the junkie and gets engulfed in it so quickly, he never stands a chance at redemption.

When Trainspotting was released in 1996, it sparked immediate controversy from reviewers and watchdog groups who thought the film romanticized drug use, or at least condoned it. Trainspotting is a character study and not a morality play, so it doesn’t underscore the emotional resonance of its story by reducing things to either “good” or “bad”. The things that happen are just an everyday reality for people who are addicted to drugs. And it would be an incredible stretch to come to any conclusion that the film condones its main characters’ lifestyles when the horrors of their world are shown in unflinching detail, whether it be an extended scene of heroin withdrawal or a dead baby in its crib.

I was nervous about writing this review and intimidated in getting started. To me, Trainspotting is such a juggernaut of popular culture. It’s been endlessly quoted, spoofed, and exists in the hemisphere of film and television, with its influence lasting on and on. Some movies are hip, but Trainspotting is so much more than that: It’s cool. It’s such a cool movie. The style, the music, the staccato editing rhythms, everything about it just clicks together perfectly into a cohesive whole as one of the most influential films ever made. Trainspotting may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but its legacy is clear. It’s hard to deny how important it was when it was released, or how important it’s remained in the decades since.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Trainspotting comes to 4K UHD Blu-ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection in a unique cardboard case that clips together in the back, made to resemble an itinerary that would hold train tickets. Inside the case are two discs, presenting the film in both 4K and 1080p Blu-ray on the other. As is usual with Criterion releases, inside the case is also a booklet containing two essays (“Beyond the Tracks” by Graham Fuller and “No Victims” by Irvine Welsh), designed to look like an informational booklet with train schedules.

I've always thought Trainspotting was a good-looking movie, whose aesthetical charm is enhanced by its griminess. It's a gritty movie, with film grain present throughout. Sometimes the lighting is dim, intentionally underlit, followed by absolutely harsh lighting, forcing the viewer to squint to look at it. I have no doubt that these are intentional choices to fit in with the oeuvre of visual tricks to simulate the day in the life of a drug addict.

Trainspotting benefits greatly from the implementation of Dolby Vision HDR so that bright and dark elements can coexist on the same frame without competing for screen supremacy. For a movie that predates HDR technology, Trainspotting feels practically like a perfect demo for the technology. Interior shots are dim and cozy, with bright light bleeding in through tears in curtains or slats in blinds. Exterior shots are almost comically, over-the-top bright, the way they might look to someone unaccustomed to being outdoors during the daytime. The color palette is also richly realized. Trainspotting is a very colorful movie, with strobing red and blue lights through its various clubbing scenes, or even in just the meticulously chosen wardrobe our characters wear, and the saturated colors of the set design.

Trainspotting is available on two different mixes available via DTS HD-MA: A 2.0 surround mix and a 5.1 surround mix. Although on paper these mixes are vastly different (two channels vs five, plus the dedicated bass channel for the subwoofer), but I'm going to be honest, I didn't hear much of a difference between the two. In this case, that's completely fine, because they both sounded great. 

Because the 2.0 surround mix was the default mix, it's the one I spent most time with. Ambient sounds, musical score, soundtrack, etc. receive near-constant rear speaker activity. When I toggled back and forth between the 5.1 mix, I received similar results. The one clear difference I did not from the 5.1 mix is that was definitely bassier and the subwoofer got a lot of play out of the LFEs, although the 2.0 mix was no slouch in that department. 

On both mixes, the dialogue is clear and favored, crisp and audible, with the chaotic and cacophonous effects receiving a lot of fun play from the soundstage, without ever being overpowering.

My favorite, not-at-all-subtle sound effect from the rear speakers came from a single fly buzzing around the echoey "Worst toilet in Scotland" segment. I’m a sucker for gross-out humor in my home theater setups.

For this release of Trainspotting, Criterion has assembled some legacy features from previous releases (the audio commentary from its original DVD release), and put together a number of new ones, documentaries, featurettes, interviews--for a comprehensive overview of the film's production history and lasting legacy.

• Audio commentary featuring Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, screenwriter John Hodge, and actor Ewan McGregor
• Nine deleted scenes with commentary from the filmmakers
• New Interview with Kave Quinn and Rachael Fleming (HD 19:11)
• Off the Rails: The Making of “Trainspotting,” a documentary featuring archival interviews with cast and crew and behind-the-scenes footage (SD 45:36)
• Memories of “Trainspotting” (HD, 44:48) a documentary from 2008 featuring the filmmakers as well as actors McGregor, Kelly Macdonald, Ewen Bremner, and Robert Carlyle 
• Reflections From Soundtrack Artists  (HD 12:00) featuring Iggy Pop, Jarvis Cocker, Bobby Gillespie, Damon Albarn, Leftfield, and Underworld
• Theatrical teaser and trailer
• Booklet containing essays by critic Graham Fuller and author Irvine Welsh, Welsh’s glossary of terms from the novel, and limited-edition glow-in-the-dark packaging.

One of the most influential films of the 1990s deserves a spectacular release, and Criterion delivers on that, with flying colors. The work that's gone into this release is phenomenal and the quality of the feature presentation, along with the features included with it, is in keeping with Criterion's reputation and golden standard. Trainspotting on 4K UHD courtesy of Criterion comes real, real close to being a must-own, and I absolutely would say it's a must-own for fans looking to upgrade their existing DVD or Blu-ray. My own pedantry instead make this merely Highly Recommended for everyone else.