'Atlas Shrugged,' Take Five

Box Office Mojo ^ | 5/18/03 | Scott Holleran

[Ethan Clive Osgoode]

the mind on strike.

Rand plagiarizing the commies again.

[Tacis]

Never underestimate commie Hollywood's ability to turn a piece of good material into crap. The left-wing slime out there isn't about to faithfully reproduce the spirit and message of the original; it isn't consistant with their anti-American, anti-capitalism message. Proof? Have you ever read Heinlein's "Starship Trooper?" Have you ever seen the moovie on TV (assuming you'd have been smart enough to not pay cash for the opportunity)?

[kezekiel]

I remember when Lord of the Rings came out how all the fantasy geeks griped about how the story was put on the screen. Just wait until the Randians get ahold of the movie. I can't wait...

[MonroeDNA]

I hope they do the book justice. It is a great read, and prescient.

[struggle]

that was one thing that really dissappointed me. i read starship troopers after i watched the movie and i was VERY impressed by the book. the philosophy of the "citizen" and so on made the book shine.

[Ethan Clive Osgoode]

Never underestimate commie Hollywood's ability to turn a piece of good material into crap.

By freak chance they might turn crap material (Rand) into something good (unintentional Ed Wood-like comedy).

[BradyLS]

The left-wing slime out there isn't about to faithfully reproduce the spirit and message of the original; it isn't consistant with their anti-American, anti-capitalism message. Proof? Have you ever read Heinlein's "Starship Trooper?" Have you ever seen the moovie on TV (assuming you'd have been smart enough to not pay cash for the opportunity)?

We have a winner.

Hollywood will kill it onscreen and infuriate the old readers while leaving the ignorant to wonder what the fuss was all about.

[BradyLS]

I remember when Lord of the Rings came out how all the fantasy geeks griped about how the story was put on the screen. Just wait until the Randians get ahold of the movie. I can't wait...

Jackson did well ith the first and turned the second into a ho-hum action epic. Randians will complain only if the philosophy is spiked-- which it WILL be.

[supercat]

Out of curiosity, have you seen "The Fountainhead"? Read it? What did you think?

[supercat]

Jackson did well ith the first and turned the second into a ho-hum action epic.

In the second movie, it seemed Merry and Pippin didn't do anything, until suddenly--deux es machina--they said the right thing to the Ents to make them trash Isengard.

[BradyLS]

In the second movie, it seemed Merry and Pippin didn't do anything, until suddenly--deux es machina--they said the right thing to the Ents to make them trash Isengard.

I have a theory: All the Ents had to be trailing close behind Treebeard to be on hand for the trashing. Treebeard cleverly asked Merry and Pip which way they wanted to go before he released them. In other words, the Ents had decided to go to Isengard, but only if Merry and Pippin volunteered, even without the help of the Ents, to go there.

My theory gives Jackson tremendous credit, which I don't mind extending given the quality of the first film. But the story spent entirely too much effort on Helms Deep, IMO, and didn't carry Aragorn across the threshold from reluctant hero to determined king.

Is it a bad film? No. It's just not LOTR, IMHO. But my opinion is unique to everyone elses take on that film.

For the same reason, I don't doubt for an instant that Hollywood will make an enjoybale, but utterly shallow, adaptation of Atlas Shrugged. Folks will like it generally but Purists will fume. (As happened with Starship Troopers.) Expect every character to do something that their ethics won't allow them to do and thus make hash of the book. Expect Jim Taggert to be the misunderstood villain of the film(s) who's good intentions go mysteriously wrong thanks to lazy, greedy, and inconsiderate middle managers.

And just like Starship Troopers, critics will simply regurgitate their shop-worn attacks on the BOOK while ignoring the film.

[supercat]

...and didn't carry Aragorn across the threshold from reluctant hero to determined king.

The boundary between the first and second movie is somewhat different from that between the first and second book. I would expect the 2-3 boundary to be likewise.

The real test will be to see if the third movie wraps things up effectively.

[StACase]

The real test will be to see if the third movie wraps things up effectively.

Just like the book I suppose, a big bird will swoop down out of the sky and spirit them away to safety. And the audience just like the reader will wonder, "Why didn't that stupid bird just make a round trip? We could have been spared all the orc gore and eye strain!"

[Atlas Sneezed]

Casting suggestions?

[Beck_isright]

We can only hope that those that are too stupid to read, might actually be energized to read the entire novel or at least get the audio book version. But I doubt it. They will probably screw up one of the great works of all time and turn it into leftist drivel.

[Joe Bonforte]

Ah, but the fun question is: Who would you cast in the major roles?

I think Brad Pitt has the right look for John Galt, and he's not a terrible actor, despite his pretty boy roles to date.

No good Dagny comes to mind. Carrie Anne Moss has the hard edge, but somehow doesn't work. I always envisioned a young Jane Seymour. Natalie Portman, maybe, if she weren't such a flaming liberal.

Antonio Banderas for Fransicso D'Anconia, I think, except that he's pushing the edge on age.

We need a young Harrison Ford or Spencer Tracy for Hank Rearden. They don't make 'em like that anymore. Maybe Kurt Russell could pinch-hit.

Other suggestions?

[Tweeker]

Every few years I try to cast this book...

only name that really seems to fit is Diane Lane as Dagny Taggart.

[DoctorMichael]

.....Crusader president and CEO Howard Baldwin is arguably better prepared than his predecessors..........................He has read Rand's gigantic novel......

Well, that's a start. {/Sarcasm} I've read it 4 times.

I hope they get someone to who is 'into' the book to Direct and write the screenplay.........a Peter Jacksonian-type rabid Objectivist, unwilling to compromise would do fine.

[RJCogburn]

I still like Denzel Washington as Galt.