Review of Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011) by Raho C — 30 Apr 2011

Two critical things come to mind in considering how to judge this film: a) the fundamental ideas being portrayed in it and b) the standards for reviewing such films.

A). The foundational concepts in the story, including the romantic love story elements, may be profoundly effective (and affecting) if one is familiar with what happens and what it means. So at the very least, read Part 1 of the book, titled Non-Contradiction (one of Aristotle's Laws of Thought, and a law of logic, if you will). If you do this first, you stand a really good chance of understanding this artistic rendering more fully and to derive a lot of enjoyment from the film experience.

B). The other part of this phenomenon is to explore what is the proper standard for objective art criticism, viewing film as art. Some may wonder if such a thing even exits. This is not an ordinary kind of film that has to stand alone on conventional Hollywood style production standards. It is a film made about what a book said and it tries to stay true to the original writing, and honoring it in spirit and form. It deserves a second look in the context of what it is trying to accomplish while preserving the ideals of a very powerful and complex philosophy. If you hate the philosophy and have closed your mind about that before seeing it, don't bother. This won't change your mind and you won't enjoy it. Perhaps that is why so many critics have ignored it. But if you are open-minded, curious, and love the pursuit of truth and knowledge, and love the possibility of a new kind of romantic realism no matter where it originates, then this can be a movie for you to celebrate and cherish for a lifetime.

Read, see, and think. Put it in your book club studies, that might help. Kudos to the 85% of viewers who did get it.