MovieChat Forums > T2 Trainspotting (2017) Discussion > 20 Years... Im confused.

20 Years... Im confused.

posted 8 years ago by hoodwinked44
26 replies | jump to latest

The original trainspotting film was released in 1996, but the film itself was set in the 80's. So in the trailer when Ewan McGregor was saying modern say stuff like "choose revenge porn" etc, I was like wait.. what? And then Sick Boy says it's been 20 years... so is this 2016 it's set in? Because that causes an issue for me because the original was supposed to be in the 80's, so 20 years for them would be mid 2000's... can anyone explain this, or have they made a massive error..

[–] manchester_btop_sea 8 years ago

Revenge porn existed 10 years ago

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

maybe it did, are you saying for sure this is set in 2006?

[–] luke-hancock 8 years ago

I think that I read somewhere, back when Porno came out, that the book, Trainspotting, was set in the 80s, but the movie was set in the 90s, hence the music and the commentary on electronica. While the scenes in Edinburgh are a bit ambiguous as to their time frame, the scenes in London seem to point to the 90s.

[–] Critch24 8 years ago

It's a while since I read them but if I remember correctly the prequel Skagboys is set in 1984, and implied to be only a couple of years before Trainspotting.

Porno was a little confusing as it was set ten years after Trainspotting, but often seemed like the setting was contemporary (early 00's).

It always seemed almost more like a sequel to the film than the book, part of me wonders if Welsh didn't just fudge the dates so new readers wouldn't be confused.

[–] Fluig_2013 8 years ago

“Choose Facebook, Twitter, Instagram”

Instagram was invented in 2010. One way of looking at it could be that Renton is saying his monologue in 2016, while looking back at the events of Trainspotting 2.

Another way of looking at it is that referring to current popular social media platforms in the updated monologue is a neat way to grab viewers, even if it's inconsistent with the year in which the film ought to be set.

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

ok thanks, well I'm sure all will become clear after the release...

[–] NikkiFromSiberia 8 years ago

idk about the book, but the movie was without a doubt set in the 90's....if nothing else than the music and 'new' drugs could give you a clue that it was supposed to be easrly nineties

#cloneclub /i am the topic closer, the real topic closer//if you post after me a faerie gets cookies

[–] Vaako 8 years ago

It's confusing... but here is the 'true' setting...

Trainspotting 1 was set in 1996 the movie was made in 1996 and the movie story was set in 1996 (ewan n co confirmed this years ago)

20 years later... we're now at 2016/17

T2: Trainspotting is set in 2016.

We all thought it would be set 10 years later so this movie would be set in 2006, but they canned that idea.

20 years sounds better.

Hope this clears it up for you.

Hopefully We'll get a T3: Trainspotting in 2037? LOL

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

Sorry I can't buy this.. I am from Glasgow and have seen the film hundreds of times and read the book lots which is definitely in Thatcher era Scotland. here's what is causing me to query this..

http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-trainspotting-1996-polygram-film-with-ewan-mcgregor-at-left-28190595.html

In the above link you will see renton and sick boy in the famous dog shooting scene, the can of lager that Renton is drinking (on the left of the image) is a can of Tennents lager with the famous lovelies on the can, i saw these all the time growing up. the cans with the lovely on it were in use until only 1991.

http://www.scotlandnow.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/pictures-you-remember-tennents-lager-3499111

sorry to say the film being set in 1996 to me just doesn't ring true, im not trying to argue with anyone but i just dont want to have such a massive flaw in the timeline of the film before it's even released.

[–] pistrix 8 years ago

According to wiki, the movie is set in the late 1980's.

I think the kind of forgot the timeline within the original movie and are making it 20 years from when the original movie came out as opposed to the timeline within the original movie.

Though according to the IMDB FAQ the time frame of the movie is anywhere between 1987 to 1993 because of various elements, such as the techno music and the mention of the Russian sailors in the film, thus saying the Soviet Union has since fallen which happened in 1991. Soooooooooooooo................

((Damn the remakes, Save the originals.))

[–] krypton_son 8 years ago

Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor have both stated that the first movie took place in 1996. Not to mention the cloths, cars, music, etc. are all pretty mid-90's. Now the new one mentioning twitter, facebook, etc. I think it's pretty clear that it takes place in 2016 or 2017, which would be 20 years later like it is stated in the trailer.

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dies ist meine unterschrift

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

and also..

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/faq?ref_=tt_faq_2#.2.1.10

[–] jventonwalters 8 years ago

The book was set in the '80s but the film definitely seems like it was set in the '90s. I mean, in the infamous 'dead baby crawling across the ceiling' scene while Renton is going cold turkey that's Dale Winton hosting on tv. His show, Supermarket Sweep, didn't take off until the mid-'90s when he became a student's favourite.

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

in fairness i don't think the film is in any way definitive as to the time period, but to say it was set in purely 1996 is a fallacy.

[–] Vaako 8 years ago

It is defo 96 setting,

You worry to much about it.

it's been confirmed for donkey years it was 96 setting.

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

id like to see some evidence of these confirmations.

[–] b-a-h TNT-6 8 years ago

The song we hear when Renton comments on how music has changed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1khUXhQwkis "Think About The Way" by ICe MC/Alexia and it's from 1994 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_About_the_Way so it's not possible that the movie takes place "between 1987 and 1993".

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

that doesn't mean anything at all, it's just part of the soundtrack, i'm sure there are numerous films out there which are set in a specific period of time that use music from without which it is set.

[–] b-a-h TNT-6 8 years ago

Sorry, but I don't think so. For the way this scene is shot, it's pretty clear that that song is meant to be a song that was popular at the time Renton moved to London.

[–] hoodwinked44 8 years ago

fair enough, looks like we'll have to agree to disagree.

[–] heat_effect 8 years ago

Or you can just agree to be wrong, since it's confirmed that the first film was set in 1996

Either way it's a silly thing to get hung up about

[–] jayjay6611 8 years ago

its clearly set in 1996, i dont know why people still seem to argue against it.

[–] darlingmagic 8 years ago

Its blatently set in 1996, the music, the fashion, everything is 90's,
Also in the scenes where Renton has moved to London it is quite clearly not the 1980's

[–] arizonabay6-671-900060 8 years ago

Yeah its close to being the definitive '90s' movie in terms of fashion, music etc.

"To err is human...so...errrr..." - Gary King

[–] krypton_son 8 years ago

Danny Boyle has said in several interviews that Trainspotting took place in 1996 when it came out. The book did take place in the mid 80's, but they changed it for the movie. T2 is 20 years later in 2016/17.

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dies ist meine unterschrift