Atlas Shrugged: Part 1

Ayn Rand's novel has been brought to the big screen in a multi-part presentation.  In the not too distant future, the economy is in the crapper, gas prices have skyrocketed, causing air travel to become less of a feasible way to travel or for transport, railroads have regained a footing in filling in that transportation need for people and business.

Taggert Transcontinental is run by a brother-sister team of James and Dagney Taggart after their father passed away.  James is not the smart one, while Dagny not only has a engineering background, but is business-savvy in an age where it becomes harder to keep their railroad transport company afloat.  I liked Taylor Schilling as Dagny in this role.  Grant Bowler plays Henry Rearden, the CEO and architect of Rearden Metal (and other business holdings).  Rearden Metal has been able to produce a lighter, stronger version of steel, and Dagny is willing to bet that it can be used to replace worn out railroad tracks, especially in the run to Colorado, where a crucial customer, Wyatt Petroleum, is looking to jump ship due to James' incompetent handling of the business.  James is far more reliant on goverment regulation to keep his company afloat, while sister Dagny forges ahead with actual business deal-making.

Obviously the broad strokes of determination of individuals in the face of oppressive governmental controls in the guise of the public welfare is a major thrust in Rand's novel, and the script is pretty polar about the 2 sides, so not too many shades of grey happening here.

This film is tailored to a specific audience with specific leanings, that's can't really be argued.  But viewed as any other film where the protagonist has to overcome what appears to be insurmountable odds to achieve their goals, it works from that perspective.  It's just that the depiction of the antagonists probably hit home far too easily given even today's political climate.

The film as cinema is fairly average, the production budget wasn't big, and it shows, and the direction by Paul Johansson has a nightly soap opera quality to it, here and there, but the storytelling was satisfactory.  I'll check out Part 2 when it shows up later in the theaters, as I want to see what happens next for Dagny and Henry, as Part 1 ends with a dire turn of events for them both.

I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.