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The Lost Bus

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02:25

The Lost Bus

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• Drama
• Thriller

• 2025
• Paul Greengrass
• 129 mins
• 15

Summary

Disaster thriller based on a true story, starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera. As deadly wildfires ravage the Californian town of Paradise, bus driver Kevin McKay realises that he is the only person who can get 22 stranded schoolchildren and their teacher, Mary Ludwig, to safety. Navigating riots, gridlock and choking smoke, Kevin embarks on a terrifying journey through the inferno.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Calum Baker

Matthew McConaughey gives a convincing, charismatic performance as the unlikely hero at the centre of this true-story thriller. He plays Kevin, a single father and school bus driver who, during the 2018 Camp fire - which would become California's most destructive of all time -ferried 22 children to safety amid the raging blaze. Director/co-writer Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips) adapts a non-fiction book about the disaster, boiling the panoramic narrative down to a digestible story of personal redemption in which the hangdog Kevin must prove himself to his employer, his ex-wife and his teenage son. This hokey approach drags the film down early on, with some eye-rolling dialogue, but McConaughey and co-star America Ferrera -as the kids' dedicated teacher -do much to lift the material with their focused and likeable performances. Greengrass's more human take on the disaster-movie genre certainly pays off as the mayhem builds: fast editing, a roaring sound mix and excellent visual effects come into their own while the characters race toward the infernal climax. The film (which had its final edits during 2025's ruinous Palisades fire) never presses any ecological themes, only making one clear reference to the man-made climate crisis. But it makes its point, and grips the viewer, by confidently immersing us in an upsetting, claustrophobic vision of a literal hell on Earth.

imdb-square

6.8/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Apple TV

Credits

Cast

rolenameKevin McKayMatthew McConaugheyMary LudwigAmerica FerreraChief MartinezYul VazquezRuby BishopAshlie AtkinsonLindaKimberli FloresShaunLevi McConaugheySherryKay McConaugheySelfJohn MessinaJen KissoonKate WhartonMatt McKenzieDanny McCarthy

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Crew

rolenameDirectorPaul GreengrassWriterBrad IngelsbyWriterPaul GreengrassWriterLizzie JohnsonProducerJason BlumProducerJamie Lee CurtisProducerGregory GoodmanProducerBrad IngelsbyComposerJames Newton HowardDirector of photographyPål Ulvik RoksethEditorPeter DudgeonEditorWilliam GoldenbergEditorPaul RubellCastingKathy DriscollCastingFrancine MaislerProduction designerDavid Crank

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Details

Released on

2025-10-04

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing

Formats

Colour

News & features about The Lost Bus

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  How to watch The Lost Bus – is it streaming?
  
  Matthew McConaughey leads the cast for the new survival epic.

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  The Lost Bus true story: How accurate is the Matthew McConaughey film?
  
  The survival epic is currently streaming on Apple TV+.

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  Matthew McConaughey says true story The Lost Bus shows our relationship with nature is “out of whack in dangerous ways”
  
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