Movie Review: Atlas Shrugged, Part 3; "Who is John Galt?!?"

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

Dallas, TX -- Earlier tonight, we were blessed to attend an advance screening of Atlas Shrugged, Part 3: Who is John Galt?!?  The film followed the arc of creeping, incremental statism to its logical conclusion.  Blackouts, deprivation, and tyranny was the result.

The movie won't please hardcore Randian purists.  Rand's book is 1000 pages long and editorial decisions had to be made.  For everyone else, the film is a worthy tribute to the power of freedom to promote human flourishing.

The film begins with the revelation of John Galt's origins in the takeover of the factory where he worked by new Marxist management.  Moving on, we see Dagny Taggart's time in the Colorado  valley where Galt and the leading entrepreneurs of his day have gone on 'strike' to the outside while creating a prosperous small community.  While she sympathizes with Galt's objectives, she eventually leaves to rescue her family's railroad, which is suffering from mismanagement under her brother Joe Straus James.

James is more interested in cronyism than productive economic activity.  During Dagny's absence, he supported a railroad centralization law.  While the law made him short term blood money, it proved disastrous for the railroad.  Dagny again fixes a problem created by James.  Eventually, James cannot handle the contrast between his crony failures and the successes of his counterparts who believe in freedom.

The climax of the film is John Galt's speech.  The first two-thirds of the film tease a speech by 'head of state' Harrison, where he's supposed to explain to the nation his 'solution' to the economic crisis: MORE STATISM!!!  In a manner reminiscent of Andrew Breitbart with Anthony Weiner, John Galt hacks into the broadcast feed of Harrison's speech and explains the ongoing producer strike.  To the horror of the crony government, Galt's speech becomes a rallying cry to the multitudes who don't support government policies.  Naturally, the government cracks down.

One MAJOR warning: the film contains an unnecessarily graphic sex scene between John Galt and Dagny Taggert.  While no body parts are exposed, they don't have to be.  This website STRONGLY encourages the produces to curtail this scene dramatically before the final cut of the film is released in two weeks.

Statism is a destructive, satanic philosophy that begets death and poverty.  Unfortunately, it also enriches a small crony elite, who go to extreme lengths to protect their blood money (hello Texas House).  Atlas Shrugged Part 3 follows this dangerous philosophy to its natural conclusion.  Blackouts, deprivation, and tyranny is the inevitable result.  Atlas Shrugged, Part 3 hits theaters September 12th.