Choose...a different version perhaps?

Introduction

Do I really need to explain Trainspotting? One of the iconic films of the 1990s? Scenes that etched themselves into your mind from the second you saw them in the cinema? Shouting lager, lager, lager? Choose life? The 10th best British film of all time according to the BFI?



After the success of Shallow Grave, Danny Boyle directed Trainspotting, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. I won't insult you by going through the plot and characters, you can read all about it elsewhere.

This latest release of Trainspotting on DVD is coming out at the same time as the Blu-Ray version.

Video and Audio

A 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. It looks pretty much like all the other versions of the film that have been released, in that it shows its age a little but there's nothing too much to complain about.

A DD5.1 soundtrack, again much the same as previous releases. All perfectly good for listening to the iconic soundtrack, Born Slippy .NUXX (that .NUXX on the end is important as it signifies the version of the song with the "lyrics") and Lust for Life are the two that stand out.

Extra Features

The good news - a new 40 minute documentary called "Memories of Trainspotting" which features interviews with all of the major players, who share their memories of filming, production and David Bowie's role in negiotiating a good deal for securing music rights to Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. They also bandy round ideas for a sequel after all this time, where the characters have really moved on...

The bad news - all the other extras from the previous release have gone.

Conclusion

A great film, even after all this time. It's still iconic, and those scenes still stay with you. The dialogue is sharp and witty, the soundtrack is era-defining. The cast are great, many of them delivering breakthrough performances. It's just a brilliant film which should be in all collections.

Hopefully you've already got this film on DVD. This "new" DVD is a rather lacklustre effort given the previous definitive edition. Yes, the new documentary is interesting and worth a watch, but there was so much more interesting stuff on the previous release. So if you've ever wanted to own it, see if you can hunt it down.

If you're not worried by extras, then this release will do you just fine.