“Who is John Galt?” has become the question on all of America’s lips in “Atlas Shrugged: Part II, The Strike.”

But a better question might be “Where is John Galt?” Or “When is John Galt going to show up?”

Because whatever its politics, “Shrugged” shrugs its way through the middle installment in this right wing soap opera with zero sense of urgency and no hurry whatsoever.

They’ve re-cast the adaptation of Ayn Rand’s romance novel for the downtrodden rich, using more former “name” actors in the leading roles. Thus, D.B. Sweeney is the mythical Galt, the guy luring America’s “I built this” crowd into some sort of uptopia for the One Percent.

But he doesn’t show up until the curtain. Not that his arrival animates this humorless rant.

Like a soap opera, it’s a tale set in the posh boardrooms, swank hotels, first class passenger rail cars and limos of the super rich. And just as in a soap opera, they’re a bunch of put-upon cry-babies, railing about “government creeps” holding them back, and “moochers” and parasites who aren’t working in a time of global depression.

Samantha Mathis is Dagby Taggart this time round, another heiress who acts as if she “built” the railroad that was inheritance. She fumes and fools around with OSHA and EPA ignoring John Rearden (Jason Beghe), a steel magnate who is hellbent on keeping his “miracle metal” out of the hands of the government.

Esai Morales is the South American scion of a copper empire who has known his rich compatriot Dagby since they were kids.

And they’d all rather destroy their businesses than face government regulation. Then this this clique of uber rich start disappearing — dropping out of sight. Caymans?

The story barely advances in this installment of the saga, with Dagby WAY behind the audience in figuring out that John Galt must be behind this magical free-energy engine that she stumbled across. More and more rich and creative folk are vanishing, gas is up to $42.29 per gallon (so only the rich can drive or fly), the trains aren’t running on time and the rich have had enough. By golly, they’re the giants in this world, the Atlases holding it on their shoulders. And they’re going on strike.

It brings to mind “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” in which the universe’s philosophers and pundits go on strike.

“And who will THAT inconvenience?”

We take time out to go a classical music concert and squeeze in an executive jet chase. And characters preach to one another, and the choir this movie is intended for.

Yes, Fox News personalities have cameos in it. And yes, there are black actors in the cast — in servile roles.

Every has-been villain in Hollywood has signed on to play government heavies or others “standing in the way” of Rand’s Hero Class. There’s Tom Wilson, the bully from “Back to the Future,” and bald and beady-eyed Paul McCrane from “Robocop” and EveryVillain Ray Wise as the “head of state.”

One hilarious bit of casting has Diedrich Bader as the scientist, Quentin Daniels. He’s made a career of playing dopes, so it’s hilarious to see the onetime Jethro of “The Beverly Hillbillies” commence to ciphering out how this here static electricity reactor works.

It’s hard to see “Atlas” as anything but a “through the looking glass” movie, where up is down, right is wrong and the reckless rich are depicted as victims. It’s absurd. But it’s timely, as Ayn Rand’s “Determinism” is part of this election, with vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan claiming to be her biggest fan.

But it’s hard to see “Atlas” in any form without thinking of what one wag, Frank Rich,  wrote about Newt Gingrich — “a stupid person’s idea of what a smart person sounds like.”

All idiotic contradictions and logical lapses that most people have the sense to see through, “Atlas Shrugged” is a stupid person’s idea of what a smart movie sounds like.

MPAA Rating: unrated, with adult situations, profanity

Cast: Samantha Mathis, D.B. Sweeney, Ray Wise, Arye Gross, Diedrich Bader, Esai Morales,

Credits: Directed by John Putch, written by Duke Sandefur, Brian Patrick O’Toole and Duncan Scott, based on the Ayn Rand novel. An Atlas Distribution release.

Running time: 2:02