PG 13 112 min

First of all I think Ayn Rand is brilliant. I believe that her novel Atlas Shrugged is a monumental work and one of literatures most important entries. Her philosophy, kind of the polar opposite of communism or socialism is a cornerstone for thousands if not millions of believer's in what I call the Neo Capitalist movement.

But, and there is always a but, I don't think it's a great book. With respect and apologies to Ms Rand's apostles we must admit that Atlas Shrugged was a chore to get through. Unlike the Lord of the Rings or other epic novels that one might read again and again, Atlas Shrugged is a struggle to finish. Still like Mein Kampf, the Communist Manifesto and the Bible it's the idea that matters not the prose.

Now because this is a movie review and not a political essay I'm forced to again step off the reservation and admit it it's not a great movie either.

Decades have passed since the novel was written and released and so the film version has been updated to the 21st century. Since the two major industries most prominently involved here are railroads and steel the opening stipulates that in the foreseeable future the price of fuel has gone so high that the railroads are once again the world's primary source of transportation.

That means that at least three outstanding industries, Taggart RR line, Danager mining operations and Reardon Metal are interlinked in the creation of the world’s finest operation.

That also means that the Taggart line and Reardon metal stand head and shoulders above the competition.

Plato said that in a democracy sooner or later the citizens will vote themselves more benefits than those who produce wealth can provide, and here, when those who own and operate inferior companies are falling behind, the government passes the “Fair Share” law.

Now the men who have built these empires are forced, by law, to hand over the technology to the lesser players. It’s only fair, right?

The pitfalls of government interference take shape through this second installment as an odd phenomenon begins to take shape.

One by one the movers and shakers, the elite scientists and entrepreneurs across the country start to disappear.

Dagne Taggart is searching for any scientist competent enough to decipher the workings of an abandoned but highly advanced engine.

In this post-industrial Armageddon all the best minds have disappeared. Her search ends as her plane goes down in a hidden valley.

As she’s rescued from the wreckage she’s greeted by a man who says simply “I am John Galt.”

As I say it’s a brilliant philosophy whether or not it can exist in the real world.

As for the movie itself, well it seems as though the best and brightest directors, writers, filmographers and actors in the industry may have taken off to that hidden valley.

It isn’t bad, but it never rises to the heights I’m sure Rand’s followers would have wished for.

C+

(but it’s worth seeing)

WSS