Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Hey, I think I already read this some years back...

Yes, it's one of those books with the movie posters which we are always embarrassed to have. But this time they renamed it; the book Porno is now called T2 Trainspotting because of that film. It's almost false advertising in fact, as the new movie is very loosely based on the original prose novel sequel to you-know-which movie.

Yet here I am and I would still like to do a review that is in part film review and book, because it comparisons cannot help being made.

The novel Porno is longer than Trainspotting, and Welsh seems to have a lot more to say, but overall it is inferior in almost every way. It isn't as powerful, or as classic, and doesn't seem necessary. Still one does enjoy going back to the colorful characters of Trainspotting.

This time the shocking vice isn't heroin but rather a pornographic film as part of Sick Boy's scam. The plot is far more structured than the interweaving short stories of Trainspotting, with much of Welsh's later work follow 3-act structure and all that. Oddly though our favorite of the cast Renton isn't really the protagonist. It's more about Simon/Sick Boy and the narration from his point of view can be both fun and disturbing to say the least. It is interesting that the 1996 Trainspotting film had such an impact on the literary world, with Diane who was minimal in the book returning as a character, and even the part with Rents sending Spud money in the post-credits scene has become official cannon.

The plot point of Begbie going after Rents is probably the only major thing that transferred to the new film. So there's the four narrators: Sick Boy, Begbie, Rents, and Spud. And one new addition to the mythos, English porn star Nicki. Her point of view is fascinating, a rare female narrator in the Welsh-verse with feminine attributes indeed but also does the whole graphic sex worker thing. Interestingly, Porno as a novel is very ahead of its time by engaging in an ongoing debate as per feminism with regards sex work, issues about far more in recent times.

The Slovenian main female lead in T2 is quite a different character, and frankly not as compelling. As for my take on the movie, Danny Boyle's directing -- and the editing -- is indeed awesome, but it doesn't work as a film on it's own. Even worse than in most sequels, it only exists as a reaction to the original and the overall point is just plain nostalgia. Worth watching, but simply not in the same league as the real Trainspotting. I suppose another thing though worth noting is that Porno and T2 but share a theme of the gentrification of old Scotland which is at least acknowledged.

Porno/T2 the novelization (not really, it's just the book Porno) is worth reading for an Irvine Welsh completist but don't expect the same impact as the first book. Oh and lastly I must say it would have been nice to see Juice Terry, the guy from Glue in the Welsh-verse, in real life cinema... but without the pornography storyline I guess there was no place for him.

Porno and T2, a book and movie that have almost nothing to do with each other!