REVIEW: ‘The Lost Bus’ Is A Fire That Fizzles Out Fast

The Lost Bus © Apple

The Lost Bus from Apple and Blumhouse Productions is a film about the most devastating fire in the history of the United States. It's crazy to think when writing that last sentence you would expect the term "wild" fire. However sadly this was not the case as PG&E had plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter, 1 count of unlawfully starting a fire, and were deemed responsible for 3.5 million dollars in damages.

In 2018, the Camp Fire devastated the town of Paradise, CA and its outer regions. An approximate total of $16.65 billion dollars in damage was caused; a total of 85 lives were lost and the community of Paradise was largely destroyed within the first six hours of the fire. Cal Fire dispatched 5,596 firefighters, with a force of 622 engines, 75 water tenders, 101 hand crews, 103 bulldozers, 24 helicopters, and 9 air tankers to do everything they could to contain the 2018 Camp Fire.

Based on a short story from the book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson, the film introduces us first to the sheer terror of what insinuated the fire, almost like a scene played out of a real-life Final Destination. We then find Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay, a bus driver for Ponderosa Elementary School and divorced dad down on his luck who just relocated back to his hometown of Paradise, California to attend to matters after his father had passed away. It's a McConaughey family affair as he is paired with his real-life mother Kay McCabe McConaughey who portrays Sherry McKay, and Matthew's son, newcomer Levi McConaughey, who also portrays his on-screen son in the film.

While delayed on a routine bus route the day of Thursday, November 8, 2018, for Ponderosa Elementary School, all hell literally erupted around him. Starting in Butte County, California- the Paradise fire had already engulfed 20,000 acres by the time it reached the town of Paradise. After receiving a distress call from the principal of Ponderosa Elementary School, Kevin McKay is tasked with the responsibility to pick up 22 kids and their teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) and escort them to safety. What should have been a trip a few miles away to a rendezvous/safe point, turned into a five-hour odyssey trying to escape the blaze due to how fast the wildfire had moved. Kevin McKay and Mary Ludwig were now faced with a difficult task which then became almost impossible as they are forced to navigate their way through a burning town and the destruction of all traces of humanity within it.

The supporting cast in this film was pretty much non-existent aside from America Ferrera who does a great job portraying an educator who is responsible for each and every student, even as they are thrust into sheer turmoil. Unfortunately, as gut-wrenching as the situation may be, I was never emotionally invested in any of the characters. Whatever backstory that was thrown in, came towards the end of the film when we find the main characters in a moment of despair. However, by this time I had emotionally checked out and found myself eagerly waiting for the bus to arrive at its destination. In a film based on true events I would have expected some kind of investment in the characters emotionally, but strangely even though based on such a tumultuous event, I had no emotional investment to the characters at all.

As a parent of two children myself, the realness of the situation did resonate with me on a parental level. It is terrifying to think of what happens when your fail safe fails. I could only imagine how my own kids or myself would feel if they were to find themselves unexpectedly thrust into such a catastrophic event unfolding everywhere you look. But I also find it a little hard to believe that those 22 kids in that bus were as cool, calm, and collected as they were throughout that terrifying bus ride through the hellish burning landscape.

The film here tries its best to give us a portrayal of the gravity of the situation. The Lost Bus does well in portraying the real-life terror of a wildfire, but in some ways the fire burns out due to the lack of investment of the cast.

Rating: ★★½

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The 2018 Camp Fire began on Thursday, November 8, 2018, and was fully contained on November 25, 2018. Currently the town is still rebuilding, seven years after the fire was contained. The Lost Bus is now streaming on Apple TV.

The Lost Bus © Apple

About The Lost Bus

Premiere Date: October 3, 2025

Writer: Paul Greengrass and Brad Ingelsby

Director: Paul Greengrass

Production: Blumhouse Productions

Distribution: Apple TV

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez, Ashlie Atkinson, Katie Wharton

Synopsis: A white-knuckle ride through one of America’s deadliest wildfires as a wayward school bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) and a dedicated school teacher (America Ferrera) battle to save 22 children from the terrifying inferno.