'Atlas Shrugged: Part 1'-- 1 star

<b>PG-13; 1:36 running time</b><br>
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Conceived as the first of a proposed three-part series, director <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PECLB0000007757" title="Paul Johansson" href="/topic/entertainment/paul-johansson-PECLB0000007757.topic">Paul Johansson</a>'s movie is the work of true believers in <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PEHST001635" title="Ayn Rand" href="/topic/arts-culture/ayn-rand-PEHST001635.topic">Ayn Rand</a>'s pet theory known as Objectivism, which can be described as "Us? There is no 'us'!" In Rand's worldview it's me-time, all the time. The capitalistic visionaries among us have been hounded and taxed and ground down so relentlessly by the federal government and other societal evils, there's nothing to do but blow the whole thing up and start anew, in a civilization run by the mysterious John Galt, who respects the rapacious dog-eat-dog nature of humankind and the sexy, life-enhancing virtues of unfettered economic competition. There is a woman at the zinclike heart of it all, the railroad company magnate Dagny Taggart (<a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PECLB0000008504" title="Taylor Schilling" href="/topic/entertainment/taylor-schilling-PECLB0000008504.topic">Taylor Schilling</a>, bland as water). She becomes one with the mighty steel company genius Henry Rearden (Grant Bowler, no less watery). As adapted here Rand's dialogue is full of come-ons such as: "Dagny, what we're doing my metal, your railway The tinhorn film version of "Atlas Shrugged: Part 1" fails to rise even to the level of "eh" suggested by Ayn Rand's title.<br>
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Read the <a href=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-mov-0413-atlas-shrugged-20110414,0,7928623.column>full review</a>

( April 14, 2011 )

PG-13; 1:36 running time

Conceived as the first of a proposed three-part series, director Paul Johansson's movie is the work of true believers in Ayn Rand's pet theory known as Objectivism, which can be described as "Us? There is no 'us'!" In Rand's worldview it's me-time, all the time. The capitalistic visionaries among us have been hounded and taxed and ground down so relentlessly by the federal government and other societal evils, there's nothing to do but blow the whole thing up and start anew, in a civilization run by the mysterious John Galt, who respects the rapacious dog-eat-dog nature of humankind and the sexy, life-enhancing virtues of unfettered economic competition. There is a woman at the zinclike heart of it all, the railroad company magnate Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling, bland as water). She becomes one with the mighty steel company genius Henry Rearden (Grant Bowler, no less watery). As adapted here Rand's dialogue is full of come-ons such as: "Dagny, what we're doing my metal, your railway The tinhorn film version of "Atlas Shrugged: Part 1" fails to rise even to the level of "eh" suggested by Ayn Rand's title.

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