Atlas Shrugged, Part III

Just went and saw Atlas Shrugged, Part III.

Ayn Rand, through her protagonist John Galt, portrays those in government as malevolent legislators who attempt to steal from those who achieve and give to those who don’t for the ostensibly altruistic goal of “the greater good of all,” when in reality they are merely interested in personal power and wealth. These primary industrialists rebel, taking their minds and fortunes and go on “strike,” causing much of the country to fall into chaotic ruin. Much of the movie rings eerily true today, and though Rand wrote from a Godless perspective, much of what she has to say is valid and ultimately uplifting. John Galt’s moving final speech is a short distillation of the fifty-page treatise Rand has him offer in the book, delineating her objectivist philosophy.

By the way, our Monroe ’72 classmate Larry Cedar has a great big role in the film and convincingly plays a real heavy.