Stanley Yelnats is sent to a camp Greenlake for stealing shoes from homeless shelter - though Stanley never did anything of the sort. At the camp the boys are forced to dig holes in the desert for no apparent reason except that digging would build their character and make them better people. But something does seem off with the digging. The movie also explores the history of the lake years before, and the life of Stanley's great-great-grandfather, who all the Yelnats' blame for the curse of the family and their bad luck.
I remember reading the book in middle school. We had about three weeks to read the book and I read in one day - and not even day before it was due, but right when the assignment was given. It was easy to read the whole thing quickly; it was smoothly written and the story was interesting. After reading the book we watched the movie in class. And Holes is probably one of the very few movies that are a right spot on if compared to the book. Like sure, many lines are missing, but that isn't important when the whole theme otherwise is very well explored.
I really like the characters in the movie - though most of them aren't really that important characters. Most of the kids just are at the camp and trying to live with the whole thing. Most of the characters however are really interesting, and I'd really like to know more about them. Well, Louis Sachar has written Small steps which is about one of the other boys at the camp - Theodore, better known as Armpit. I think I should read that book once, just for the sake of getting some more of this. I've actually borrowed it several times but I just didn't even start reading it, don't know why. A lot of other characters seem marvellous too, though they are explored better than the kids at the camp. One very good example is Kissin' Kate Barlow. She's really interesting, and I'd actually like to read more about her, but I don't think there is anything else to know about her. Then again there's the Warden... She was interesting character, though I don't feel like I'd like to know anything else about her. It's like I'm done with her.
Music in the movie is wonderfully used. Most of the songs aren't probably something I'd actually like to listen to on my spare time, but they work really well for the movie. And to be honest, I guess that's more important than using "good songs". Music has to go with the movie otherwise it's just useless.
But even though the movie is good and I appreciate how well it was adapted, for some reason I don't like it that much. I mean that I know it's good, but I don't think I'll watch it in another let's say three years. I mean it's very simple plot. And most of the beauty of the plot is there when you first watch it / read the book. You get the "OH" -feeling when you realise why something is happening and all that. Though now that I watched it like after three or four years, I didn't remember every detail in it. Though I think next time it probably wouldn't be at all surprising, because seeing something two times makes you remember most of the plot. At least that's how it works for me.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
7/10
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