Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Trainspotting 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 13, 2024

Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting" (1996) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary was recorded by Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, producer Andrew Macdonald, and screenwriter John Hodge; various archival cast and crew interviews; deleted scenes; new program with costume designer Rachael Fleming and production designer Kave Quinn; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Based on the popular novel by Irvine Welsh, Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting is a film that is irresistibly funny and at the same time incredibly sad. It follows closely the deeds of a group of junkies living in Edinburgh, Scotland, as they slowly lose control over their lives.

There are five of them. Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor, The Island), an on-again, off-again addict, who has repeatedly attempted to get off drugs but has failed. Spud (Ewen Bremner, Julien Donkey-Boy), a good-hearted loser, who always gets shafted. Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller, Plunkett & Macleane), a young lad not yet fully hooked on heroin but fascinated with Sean Connery. Tommy (Kevin McKidd, AfterLife), a deceivingly intelligent looking lad, who believes that an Iggy Pop show is better than sex. Begbie (Robert Carlyle, Riff-Raff), a disturbingly violent man with a serious drinking problem.

The five junkies are at a different point in their addiction cycles, which is the reason why Trainspotting is structured as a collage of individual sequences. One of them is about Mark’s attempt to get clean. He goes to an abandoned apartment and nails the door so that he could resist the temptation of getting out and finding himself another fix.

There is another sequence where Mark visits Tommy, who has locked himself into an abandoned apartment, with a slightly different idea in mind. Mark attempts to cheer up his friend but realizes that Tommy has already given up on life. Before he leaves, Mark gives him his change.

In another sequence, we see Mark moving to London and attempting to start a new life. However, Begbie, who is wanted in connection to an armed robbery, and Sick Boy, who has become a pusher and pimp, appear and drag him back into a world of excess and crime.

The finale is uplifting. Everyone is given a second chance, but only one of the main characters takes advantage of it. Of course, considering what takes place during the first half of the film, one could successfully argue that the message of Trainspotting is far more nihilistic than it is optimistic.

Trainspotting earned international acclaim after it was screened at the Cannes Film Festival (outside of competition) in May 1996. The film had premiered to rave reviews in the United Kingdom a few months earlier. Big international distributors quickly bought the rights to the film, and the rest is history. Nowadays, Trainspottting is considered by many as one of the quintessential cult films of the 90s.

One of the key reasons why the film managed to entice audiences around the globe is its impeccable blending of drama and comedy. Cinematographer Brian Tufano captured the deceiving coolness (and ugliness) of heroin addiction in such an impressive fashion that many felt Trainspotting might have effectively promoted what it aimed to dismiss.

The notable jabs at the value system promoted by Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government during the 80s (where the story of the film is set) also resonated strongly with many who saw Trainspotting. Mark’s initial rejection of these values – manifested through his memorable monologue in the very beginning of the film – and consequently enthusiastic embracement are amongst the key scenes from the film.

Trainspotting is complimented by a fantastic selection of club hits such as “Born Slippy” by Underworld, “Final Hit” by Leftfield, “For What You Dream Of” by Bedrock, “Temptation” by New Order, etc.

Trainspotting 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Trainspotting is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "looked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-31 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-39 are from 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces a brand new 4K makeover of Trainspotting which was supervised and approved by Danny Boyle. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed it in its entirety with HDR. Also, a day later, I viewed the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray in its entirety. After that, I performed numerous comparisons with the only other Blu-ray release of the film that I have in my library, which is this Region-B release that British label Film4 produced in 2009.

The new presentation of the film is dramatically healthier, which did not surprise me at all because the Region-B release was sourced from an older master from the DVD era that had several serious limitations. The new presentation boasts far stronger density levels and outstanding fluidity as well. Declination, clarity, and depth are pretty good, often even excellent, but there are some quite obvious, unnatural fluctuations. (I will address them below). Image stability is great. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections.

Unfortunately, the entire film is regraded and as a result some parts of it look very different now. Some of the tweaks are minor and retain original colors that look much better than they did on the previous release. However, some of the tweaks are pretty extreme and alter the color temperature of the visuals. They can also destabilize or eliminate entire primaries and supporting nuances. The two primaries that are affected the most are white and blue. White and variations of white are routinely overwhelmed by light cyan/green. Blues and variations of blue are destabilized or replaced by turquoise. However, different parts of the film are affected differently, so if some original primaries are retained, the discrepancy is not as dramatic. Here are some examples of very obvious changes:

In the very beginning of the film, the gray and cold blue that was present in the Edinburgh skies are replaced. See screencaptures #6 and 7. The footage from the countryside where Renton declares that the Scottish should have been conquered by someone better than the English has lost its blues and is now tealed, too. The hilarious footage from the park with the dog has brand new color temperature as well. Furthermore, some of the darker footage looks unusually flat now -- in native 4K and 1080p, but in native 4K, some dark nuances become almost impossible to recognize. Oddly enough, in native 4K, the HDR grade handles some of the dark tealed footage a little bit better. When white is absent, primaries like red and blue look outstanding, so some scenes look as they should. Sadly, the new regrading job gives the rest of the film a brand new appearance.

Ultimately, this upcoming release of Trainspotting is a lot like the recent release of Brotherhood of the Wolf. It will please some people, but it will frustrate many more because it gets only some things right and is not the definitive home video release of Trainspotting that it could have been.

Trainspotting 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The Region-B release of Trainspotting does not have a lossless audio track, so I was eager to test the two tracks on this release. I think that I prefer the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. When the music kicks in, the difference between the lossy and lossless tracks becomes undeniable, and during several of the mass scenes, there is movement in the surrounds that makes a difference, too. Clarity, sharpness, and stability are very good, but I have to admit that there are several sections where the accents become so thick that I have to turn on the subtitles. I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review.

Trainspotting 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, producer Andrew Macdonald, and screenwriter John Hodge for Criterion in 1996. The commentators go down memory lane and recall their collaboration on Trainspotting while cracking up a few jokes along the way as well.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, producer Andrew Macdonald, and screenwriter John Hodge for Criterion in 1996. The commentators go down memory lane and recall their collaboration on Trainspotting while cracking up a few jokes along the way as well.

• Designing - in this exclusive new program, costume designer Rachael Fleming and production designer Kave Quinn discuss the sets, costumes, and visual appearance of Trainspotting. (Also, there are some interesting comments about Shallow Grave). The program was produced for Criterion in 2023. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Listening - this program gathers recollections from musicians featured on the Trainspotting soundtrack -- Iggy Pop, Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Damon Albarn (Blur), Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Neil Barnes (Leftfield), and Rick Smith and Karl Hyde (Underworld) -- and Noel Gallagher (Oasis). In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Memories of "Trainspotting" - in this archival documentary, director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, screenwriter John Hodge, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Kelly Macdonald and Robert Carlyle recall their collaborations on Trainspotting, the various challenges the cast and crew faced during the production process, how the film was received, etc. In English, not subtitled. (46 min).

• Off the Rails: The Making of "Trainspotting" - this program gathers various archival interviews with Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, screenwriter John Hodge, author Irvine Welsh, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremned, and Robert Carlyle, among others. The interviewees discuss everything from the novel that inspired Trainspotting to the casting choices that were made and the film's reception. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several deleted scenes that can be viewed with optional audio commentary by the filmmakers. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).
  
  1. Deleted scene 24
  2. Deleted scene 31
  3. Deleted scene 32
  4. Deleted scenes 73 and 110
  5. Deleted scene 142
  6. Deleted scene 143
  7. Deleted scene 188
  8. Deleted scenes 191
  9. Deleted Australian scene

• Teaser Trailer - presented here is an original teaser trailer for Trainspotting cut by Polygram. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - presented here is an original theatrical trailer for Trainspotting cut by Polygram. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Reading - a few test readings by Ewan McGregor done for Criterion's audio commentary for Trainspotting. In English, not subtitles. (3 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring essays by critic Graham Fuller and author Irvine Welsh, Welsh's glossary of terms from the novel, and technical credits.

Trainspotting 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This upcoming release of Trainspotting is a lot like the recent release of Brotherhood of the Wolf. It introduces a brand new 4K restoration that alters the film's original theatrical appearance but was endorsed by Danny Boyle. Some people will be fine with the changes, but a lot of people will find them quite frustrating. The release has an extensive selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features, so it is definitely worth picking up. However, I think that an opportunity was missed to deliver the definitive home video release of Trainspotting. RECOMMENDED.