The Lost Bus Movie Review: Kevin, the protagonist of Paul Greengrass’ new disaster thriller The Lost Bus, is played by the Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey (whose surname spelling I still have to double-check on Wiki every time, my bad). Kevin is having the worst time of his life: he’s separated from his wife, his teenage son resents him, and his ageing mother is slipping into the grip of dementia. At work, he’s a bus driver for California School Transportation who often skips routine checks and faces his supervisor’s constant ire. And to top it off, he now finds himself driving a bus full of terrified children through one of California’s deadliest wildfires, determined to get them - and himself - to safety. Matthew McConaughey Urges Fans To Help Victims of Texas Floods As 78 Die and Dozens More Go Missing.

The Lost Bus is inspired by the devastating 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California’s Butte County - one of the deadliest wildfires in the state’s history - and is based on Lizzie Johnson’s book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire.

'The Lost Bus' Movie Review - The Plot

The fire begins when neglected power lines spark flames in dry grass. Fuelled by strong winds, it spreads rapidly across the county. The local fire department struggles to contain the inferno, as choking smoke and flames turn evacuation into a near-impossible task.

When the school transportation department calls for volunteers to rescue around 20 children stranded in a school in East Paradise, Kevin - desperate to reach his ailing son with vital medicine - gives in to his conscience and answers the call. He collects the children and their teacher, Mary (America Ferrera), but soon discovers that communications have collapsed and the roads are gridlocked.

Watch the Trailer of 'The Lost Bus':

Upon finally reaching the designated drop-off point, they find it abandoned - Keving never received the updated instructions thanks to the communication shutdown. From that moment, it’s down to Kevin’s grit, wits, and nerve-shredding driving to steer the kids and Mary to safety, while he battles his own fear of not making it home.

'The Lost Bus' Movie Review - A Director Who Thrives on Real-Life Based Thrillers

Paul Greengrass has long proven himself a master of taut, realistic thrillers. While best known for the Bourne series, his strongest works - Bloody Sunday, United 93, Captain Phillips, and 22 July - have been deeply human, gripping dramas grounded in real events.

The Lost Bus takes a while to pick up speed, partly due to its insistence on giving Kevin a heavy-handed tragic backstory (while allowing McConaughey to bring his family members to play, well, his family members). The added drama - including a painful flashback about putting down his dog due to cancer - feels unnecessarily bleak. What's more, this backstory doesn’t make Kevin’s heroics more compelling; it comes across as melodrama for its own sake.

A Still From The Lost Bus

Ironically, the film does manage to carve a more organic emotional moment later: when the bus is trapped with seemingly no way out, Kevin and Mary open up about their personal losses. This scene, intimate and vulnerable amid the chaos, feels much more authentic and impactful than the earlier sequences.

'The Lost Bus' Movie Review - A Gripping Second Hour

Once the action ignites (pun intended), The Lost Bus hits high gear and rarely lets up. Greengrass excels at immersing us in the inferno’s terror, first showing the futility of the firefighting effort through a lone off-duty fireman trying to rescue trapped residents, only to be cornered in a creek with little hope of survival. This sequence vividly conveys the overwhelming scale of the disaster and the devastating consequences of human negligence.

A Still From The Lost Bus

Cinematographer Pål Ulvik Rokseth amplifies the tension with horror-tinged flourishes - the camera swoops through the smoke and embers almost like Evil Dead, signalling the oncoming fiery gusts. The wildfire scenes are impressively staged, although the darkness of the disaster zones sometimes makes it hard to follow the action - especially if you are watching it on a dimly lit TV screen. From a creative standpoint, though, the limited visibility reflects exactly what Kevin experiences behind the wheel, navigating through smoke and flames with almost no clarity.

A busload of children naturally grants the story some narrative safety - audiences expect them to survive - but their terrified reactions lend a raw, human edge to the horror. Two moments stand out: one, when Mary steps off the bus to search for water for the kids as the fire and even armed looters close in; and two, Kevin’s heart-pounding drive through walls of fire, culminating in a moment that underscores nature’s terrifying unpredictability.

A Still From The Lost Bus

McConaughey anchors the film with a riveting performance, portraying Kevin’s vulnerability and determination with equal conviction. America Ferrera provides steady support, embodying Mary’s pragmatic, by-the-book nature - initially frustrating but ultimately vital when guiding frightened children through chaos. Their journey’s conclusion delivers the expected emotional catharsis without tipping into mawkishness. Matthew McConaughey Birthday Special: From ‘Mud’ to ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, 5 Highest-Rated Movies of the Oscar-Winning Actor on Rotten Tomatoes and Where To Watch Them Online.

'The Lost Bus' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

The Lost Bus may stumble with its heavy-handed backstory, but once the flames surge, it delivers a gripping, edge-of-your-seat disaster drama that’s equal parts thrilling and sobering. McConaughey and Ferrera's performances ground the spectacle in humanity, while Greengrass's taut direction and some fantastic visual effects and camerawork make for a very riveting survival saga. The Lost Bus is streaming on Apple TV+

Rating:3.5

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2025 08:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).