Summary
- The accuracy of the desert survival scenes in the movie Holes is highly praised by desert survival expert Les Stroud, earning it a high score.
- Finding water in the desert can be indicated by the presence of insect life, wildlife, and plant life, which all survive near a water source.
- Holes has stood the test of time due to its well-written story, faithful adaptation, and themes of friendship and injustice, appealing to both children and adults.
The Disney movie Holes earns a high accuracy score from desert survival expert Les Stroud. The 2003 movie is adapted from the award-winning and bestselling novel of the same name written by Louis Sachar. The story focuses on a teenager named Stanley Yelnats IV, played by Shia LaBeouf, who is sent to a juvenile detention camp called Camp Green Lake after being wrongfully convicted of a crime. After enduring many injustices and learning the truth behind Camp Green Lake, Stanley and another camper with the nickname of Zero run away into the desert.
While examining and rating movies with Insider, Stroud breaks down the accuracy of scenes that take place when Stanley and Zero run away from Camp Green Lake and are in the desert. The first scene is when Stanley, who ran away after Zero, discovers his friend resting underneath an overturned boat in the desert. Stroud also breaks down a later scene in the desert when Stanley carries an unconscious Zero up a mountain known as God’s Thumb. At the top of the mountain, Stanley notices greenery, which leads to a water source. Read Stroud’s breakdown of this scene below:
When you’re in the expanse of any desert, and all you want is a break from the sun, then anything is a break. It’s incredible the difference in temperature from being under a flew slats of wood or being out in the sun, that difference is massive. Finding a safe place to sleep in the desert is really going to be a matter of options. You go with the best option you can come up with. If you can make a grass mat and sleep on that, you do that. If you can be on a rock outcropping that is smooth and comfortable as much as rocks can be comfortable, but it was heated during the day, then you do that.
When you start to see any kind of life, insect life, wildlife, plant life, it usually indicates that there’s got to be water somewhere. That’s where they all survive themselves, the insects, the creepy crawlies, the flying birds, the walking mammals. The other thing you look for in the desert is simply plant life, growth, trees, greenery, and generally speaking, the landscape is brown, and gray, and dry, but you see a little bit of greenery over there, that’s the place to go and check for water.
This is absolutely a place you could find water. I have found the cleanest water to drink halfway up a mini mountain in the middle of a Mexican desert and I could plunge down into it and drink it, and it’s safe. . . I’d rate this scene an 8 out of 10.
Why Holes Has Stood The Test Of Time After 20 Years
The accuracy in the desert survival scenes is only one of many elements that have allowed Holes to stand the test of time. Holes‘ Stanley and Zero finding water at the top of God’s Thumb and Zero finding shade under the overturned boat have more weight given the realism behind them. As for the story itself, Holes is a well-written story and entertaining narrative that received a faithful and rewarding adaptation. The many connections and foreshadowing planted in flashbacks and early scenes in the story lead to an enormous payoff in the final act.
As a timeless coming-of-age story that can be enjoyed and understood by children and adults, the novel and the movie continue to reach a variety of audiences. The movie brings all the important scenes from the book to life without cutting anything essential and doesn’t lose sight of the many themes involving friendship, injustice, and how the past informs the present in unexpected ways. In addition to LaBeouf, the movie has a star-studded cast, including Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, and Henry Winkler.
Along with its enduring literary and cinematic merits, Holes has also maintained relevance through the famous “I’m tired of this, Grandpa!” meme and GIF response on social media, which is from a flashback toward the end of the movie. It is also available on Disney Plus, and earlier this year, during the film’s 20th anniversary, producer Mike Medavoy discussed the possibility of Holes becoming a television series. While nothing has been confirmed yet, there is clearly still interest in Holes, even 20 years since its theatrical release.
Source: Insider
