Holes

Stanley Yelnats (LaBeouf) was cursed. In fact his family had been cursed with bad luck for four generations. Stanley's luck was so bad that when a pair of sneakers fall off a bridge and hit him on the head, the police arrest him thinking he has stolen them. As punishment he is sent to camp Green Lake, where The Warden (Weaver) has the young offenders digging holes in the desert as a character building exercise but Stanley discovers there is more behind the holes than the Warden is letting on.

Based on the best selling novel by Louis Sachar, Holes is very different from normal children's movies.

Treating the viewer with a certain about of intelligence, this is a family film that is just as good for adults as it is for the kids. The multi-layered story flashes from present to the past, interweaving what Stanley is discovering and revealing how these events came to pass. It is very cleverly done, as it never gives too much away thus making you stay with the story as it unfolds.

Shia LaBeouf is a very likable lead, which children will have no trouble connecting with. He isn't your normal, great looking usual teen lead but an ordinary boy with extraordinarily bad luck. He also has good support from Khleo Thomas as Zero, named for what his fellow inmates and camp councillor think his IQ is. He is also a character that you can connect with as he plays the one who does quite fit in but with a good friend and a boost in confidence he is much more than even he thinks he can be. The camp is filled with colourful characters all with nicknames like Armpit, Squid, X-Ray, Zigzag and Twitch, all played with great gusto by the relatively young cast.

The adults make take a supporting role but they play their parts with exemplary skill. Tim Blake Nelson plays Dr. Pendanski with a slight twist of evil by been supportive to who he like and down right mean to those he doesn't. Jon Voight hams it up to create the camp commandant of sorts, Mr Sir. His attitude towards to boys is mean and offensive, making you boo him even more. Rounding off the dastardly adult trio is Sigourney Weaver as The Warden, whose moods change with how close the boys are to uncovering the secret of the holes. She proves again what a good actress she is, easily fitting into the villainess role. Patricia Arquette and Dulé Hill are also good in their flashback roles, that define the story.

While the ending is slightly overly sentimental and sugar coated in the extreme, the journey there is quite sour and definitely not your usual Disney movie. Finally studios are waking up to the facts that kids have brains and can follow an interesting, intelligent story for almost two hours. Now where is my shovel?

Audio commentary from director Andrew Davis, Audio commentary from members of the cast, Deleted scenes, 'Digging The First Hole' featurette, Gag ree,l D-Tent Boys 'Dig It' music video, Interactive menu & Scene access

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2003