04-17-2011, 08:27 PM
To say this film has been taking flak is no understatement: its reviewer rating at Rotten Tomatoes is in the basement. Due to this and the knowledge that production was rushed and low budget, I went to see the film Saturday braced for the worst.
I enjoyed it. It didn't blow me away, and it was definitely not a film for the ages, but if you think of it as the first night of a competently produced three-part TV mini-series, you probably won't be terribly disappointed (of course, TV mini-series are free, so take that for what it's worth). I did feel the passion of the book, and Rand's message was largely intact (if you didn't like the Lord of the Rings novels, you probably didn't care for Peter Jackson's movies; same deal here). As with any adaptation of a sprawling epic, a lot was left out, and those who have read the book and can thus carry in the backstories of the characters will likely get more out of it than those going in cold.
It's a movie about a railroad, but scenes largely take place in offices and restaurants (the low budget rears its head). There is a fair railroad construction sequence, several soaring views of Colorado railroad lines, and the emotional highpoint of the movie: the inaugural run of the John Galt Line. It was worth the matinee price for me.
I enjoyed it. It didn't blow me away, and it was definitely not a film for the ages, but if you think of it as the first night of a competently produced three-part TV mini-series, you probably won't be terribly disappointed (of course, TV mini-series are free, so take that for what it's worth). I did feel the passion of the book, and Rand's message was largely intact (if you didn't like the Lord of the Rings novels, you probably didn't care for Peter Jackson's movies; same deal here). As with any adaptation of a sprawling epic, a lot was left out, and those who have read the book and can thus carry in the backstories of the characters will likely get more out of it than those going in cold.
It's a movie about a railroad, but scenes largely take place in offices and restaurants (the low budget rears its head). There is a fair railroad construction sequence, several soaring views of Colorado railroad lines, and the emotional highpoint of the movie: the inaugural run of the John Galt Line. It was worth the matinee price for me.