I certainly wouldn't call Atlas bad but agree there are stretches of the book that could have been condensed. I don't think there are many that will read it and not think it was time well spent.
Most these days won't make it through. I know my son won't.
And yeah, the movie trilogy wasn't very good. I was disappointed, I would have rather seen it as a series where there can be some REAL character development. But honestly, that isn't ever going to happen in the world today, the message is the wrong message.
Kind of like how 17 Democrats have been nominated for a Grammy Award (with 7 winning) and not a single Republican has ever been nominated? Surprised? Yeah, me neither.