I finally got the chance to go out to see Atlas Shrugged Part II today. It is totally recast from Atlas Shrugged Part I.  I enjoyed the first installment, but the cast changes only served to make this one stronger than the first.  Of course Part I was occasionally bogged down with story setup and character introduction.  Part II does not have this problem and moves significantly quicker.  Samantha Mathis shines as Dagny Taggart  and Esai Morales steals the show as Francisco d’Anconia.  Taking nothing away from the earlier actors, the Atlas Shrugged franchise needed the added star power.  This adaptation of the 1957 book is stunning in how prescient Ayn Rand was in the gradual progression of government power and public entitlement.  It is equally frightening in its informed predictions of our near future.  I highly recommend for everyone to get out and see this movie before it leaves the theaters.