Rating: 
Summary: Great Story
Review: This is a great story done really well. The only reason I gave it four stars was because it was a bit confusing, with all its skipping to different side stories. My mom was confused when she was watching it. Other people have told me, though, that they didn't think it was confusing.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Disney Winner
Review: It seems that as of late Disney has rebounded from making mediocre tripe like it did during the late nineties. This film along with Finding Nemo represent a new generation of family films: movies with little objectionable content that are genuinely entertaining and also quite witty, too. Holes is perhaps the most clever film I've ever seen, maybe too clever. It is based on a book of the same name that I have never read, so I will only judge the film. However, it is outstanding, funny, absurdist, along with plenty of other labels. For pure fun for the entire family, or just for yourself, you would be hard-pressed to do better.First, the film's merits. The movie is a very ambitious (primarily) children's film, interweaving comedy, drama (contemporary and historical), prison films, absurdist theater, etc. As a result we get a remarkable synthesis. Holes is a movie about a dozen things that all revolve around Stanley (played by Shia LaBeouf) and how he always manages to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After being convicted for a crime he did not commit, he is sent to a prison camp where he gets to dig, you guessed it, holes. As a result of a complex series of actions, past and present, he manages to lift an ancient family curse and exculpate himself, all the while being charming on-screen and packing his voice-over narration with all kinds of information about his family's past. The sheer volume of story threads in the film is mind-boggling, and they form a very complex tapestry. This leads to my (minor) problems with the film. Essentially, the movie is too clever. The subplot about Henry Winkler trying to find the cure for foot odor is extraneous, and it is the only part of the story that is painfully connected to the story via some symbolism (I don't want to spoil it). The CGI lizards were also a bit less than convincing, but these are minor points. Ultimately, the film is only nominally weighed down by these small aberrations. As a whole, the work is well-done. In brief, this is a film that will entertain an entire family without insulting anyone's intelligence. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: not a bad story, not very well done though
Review: Given the fact that this is a Disney film don't you think they had the money to do some decent CGI? Why did they need CGI anyway? This is a kid's film set in the middle of the desert, with very very little need, if any, for special effects, yet there it is, bad bad CGI!
So bad that it became the focus of the movie, at least for me.
The story, though extremely far-fetched is good, and has a moral. Although I didn't realize pounding someone's behind was considered moral. Well, now I know.
Sigourney Weaver was definitely over the top, but very entertaining as usual.
And before I forget, the kid with the super thick glasses, he was a bully that bullied everyone around the whole entire movie until at one point he decided he didn't want to bully the hero of the film around anymore, so now he's good?
Oh, okay. I see.
I imagine this was a good children's book, and could've been a good movie, if the CGI (did I mention this) wasn't horrendous and unnecessary, and violence weren't portrayed as a favorable attribute, and the lighting and camerawork didn't look like it were done by people that had never seen a movie or television.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for kids
Review: I'm 18 and I think this is an awesome movie. It has two plot lines going at once, but in a way that's not so complicted children won't understand. A wonderful movie with many positive messages.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie about how fun it can be to learn our ancenstory!
Review: I have not read the book, but after watching the movie reading the book is next on my list. I loved this movie for how it tied in something that happened over 100 years ago, all the way to present day. It shows to me the importance of family history and how fun it can be to learn and benefit from our ancestors. It definitely is a movie that makes you want to watch it over and over so that you can fill in all the holes left at the end. I do wish the movie's script would have tied in more of what happened in the past to how much Stanley, Zero, and the warden knew about their history that eventually all tied together. Anybody who says this movie sucks doesn't appreciate a good genealogy story when you see one.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of money
Review: Why anybody found this movie funny is beyond me. I would rather do homework(and I'm a grad student) than watch this piece of garbage. Anybody who doesn't fall asleep during this two hour debacle should be given an award.
Rating:
Summary: "Scuusssssseeee Me?"
Review: Holes is a brilliant book by the fantastic Louis Sachar. Now its the utlimate book adaption and family film. Many films based on books, rarly compare, but this won me and many others over.
This movie has a fantastic cast as well. Let me start off with my favortie cast memeber. Sigourney Weaver is AWESOME as the mean spirted warden. She lights up the screen and you find yourself begging for more Sigourney. Shia LaBeouf is great at Stanley Yelnats and brings humor and heart to the screen. Patricia Arquette is great as Kissin Kate Barlow and totally embodies her perfectly. The rest of the cast I will mention in the following review.
When a famous pair of sneakers falls from the sky and lands in Stanleys hands, he finds himself in court with the decision of jail or Camp Green Lake. His family (except his mom) quickly blame this on Stanleys dirty rotten pig stealing greatgrandfather. Well, hes never been to camp so thats better than jail. He is sentenced to 18 months at Camp Green Lake to build character. Once there, he realizes he is not in any normal camp. He also finds out that there is no lake, and the place is not green. He is in the middle of the desert, and Camp Green Lake has the only water source for 100 miles. It doesnt take long, before MR.SIR (Jon Voight, who perfectly acts out this odd character) takes Stanley's bags and gives him his work clothes and his relaxation clothes and explains to him that every morning he will be required to dig one hole 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide to turn around his bad character.
The movie continues to explain how something fishy is going on at Camp Green Lake, and explains Stanley's greatgrandfathers curse, and the life of Kissin Kate.
I bought this film without seeing it and i am pleased. It is a fantastic movie for kids and adults. Its funny and extremely heart-warming. Dont miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: These Holes Are Not Empty!
Review: Like a gentle breeze at the end of a hot day, this is the feeling I got after watching Holes, refreshing and sweet.
Don't let the Disney name put you off, because it is one of the very few films they have made in recent years that is not overtly commercial and sentimental.
I have to admit though, that this review comes from a person who has never read the book, and had very little idea about it, so it is strictly based on the film itself. But I would assume that getting the author Louis Sachar to script his own bestselling work was a very wise choice, as the likelihood of remaining faithful to the book is great.(Adapting bestselling books to the screen has always been an ambitious endeavour and a hit and miss affair).
But it needs much more in order for the film to work, the right combination of writer,director and actors,a collaborative effort and talent from all.
And surely I did find this in Holes.
Andrew Davis has succeeded in maintaining a good balance between the visual and the drama, and managed to direct a sensitive touching and warm film, one of his best to date (his speciality has always been the action/thriller genres-Collateral Damage, Fugitive, Perfect Murder,The Package- and this is his first drama).
All the cast are great, from Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, Henry Winkler and the director's dad Nat Davis, to of course all the kids,who were superb, especially Even Stevens's Shia LaBeouf: a very promising actor, at home equally with drama and comedy, and I hope we will see much more of him in the future.
There are a couple of observations I made about Holes,
I could not help draw comparison between Jon Voight's character and performance and Slim Pickens portrayal of Deputy Taggart in Blazzing Saddles, but this does not take away the fact that Voight was wonderful as always.In addition,I did find few elements of The Mexican (The Curse) and The Mighty (Fantasy and Friendships)in the film.
While Holes might not be an all time classic, it is still a heartwarming and moving film that will please on many levels. One thing you will be sure of, the holes in Holes are certainly not empty.
Rating:
Summary: Disney's biggest screw-up ever
Review: All right, first off, this thing SUCKS! It is truly amazing (and disgusting) that ANYONE would find this book even mildly amusing, let alone the entire population of children ages 8-16 in the US. I'm still not sure why I decided to go see this movie at all. Last year in school (that was 7th grade for me...I'm 13), my English teacher has us read this...book. At first I thought "Hey, this'll be cool, since so many people liked it!" Boy, was I wrong. "Holes" is a good title for it, as there are major 'holes' in the plot. A kid named Stanley Yelnats (that name was what first tipped me off that book blows) gets sent to a detention center because he stole some famous dudes sneakers. There, he must dig holes. Wow. Impressive. This pathetic excuse for a plot keeps being interrupted by flashbacks to 100 years before, with some bozo bank robber. Gee-whiz. In the movie, the acting is stilted, the dialog sucks, basically, it was really not worth being made. At all. Please, if you want a good movie, forget this piece of crap, go rent a Lord of the Rings movie, or go see Pirates of the Caribbean. If you feel in need of a good book, try The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip or the DragonLance series, they are WAY better.
Rating:
Summary: Disney's best in years!
Review: "Holes" surprised the heck out of me. I read the book on the advice of a friend who knew I was interested in children's books. I was blown away. Then I heard Disney was making a movie -- I was apprehensive about the story getting Hollywoodized, but when I saw the finished product, I realized my fears were unfounded. It didn't hurt at all that they got Louis Sachar, the author of the novel, to write the screenplay, but the casting of this movie was wonderful as well, with the kids turning in strong performances all around and the adults clearly relishing their roles, particularly the scene-chewing Jon Voight. This is a pretty good DVD as well, especially by Disney standards, with a comentary and some nice behind-the-scenes features. Best of all, Disney actually gave movie fans a widescreen version for once -- thank heavens! I can actually watch the movie the way it was meant to be seen in my own home! All in all, one of the most satisfying products from the House of Mouse in many a year.
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