The Lost Bus (2025)

Content by Tony Macklin. Originally published on October 9, 2025 @ tonymacklin.net.

The Lost Bus is a powerful ride into Hell.

It starts in Purgatory, but becomes a gripping, punishing experience. It may be one of the most compelling movies you've ever seen.

Based on an actual fire that in 2018 swept over Paradise, California, it's the story of a school bus filled with 23 children and the driver Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey) and a teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) who are trapped in the midst of an out-of-control fire. The film captures the madness of the fire, and its incredible impact.

The Lost Bus has a lackluster beginning. It is a generic subplot about a father and his negative relationship with his son. The cinematography by Pal Vivik Rokseth is jerky, and the editing -- credited to three editors -- is choppy. The film seems hampered by ineffective style.

But when The Lost Bus concentrates on the harrowing fire it becomes gripping and nerve-wracking. Director Paul Greengrass is able to capture the experience of humanity caught in a fire. It becomes an experience that seems palpably real.

Matthew McConaughey is outstanding as the fallible, struggling man who meets the challenge. He and America Ferrera establish a believable rapport as the two adults under extreme duress.

Ashlie Atkinson as Ruby Bishop, the school director of transportation, adds a convincing voice of reason to the chaos.

Despite their generic roles, there are two other actors who also make the cast notable. Matthew McConaughey's son in the film is played by Matthew's actual son Levi. And his mother in the film is played by his 93 year old mother Kay, born January 7, 1932.

Director Greengrass is able to keep humanity at the core of The Lost Bus. Greengrass is a wizard. He sends us to Hell. And back.

In 2025 -- in an age of Horror Films -- The Lost Bus is true horror.