The Lost Bus movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: The Lost Bus

This suspenseful action drama is now playing on Apple TV+ exclusively.

RATING: R (for intense disaster peril, some language)

LENGTH: 2 hours 10 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

Inspired by the true story of a school bus driver and a teacher who saved 22 children during California’s devastating Camp Fire in 2018, The Lost Bus is a gripping, emotional survival drama that honors everyday heroes. Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera deliver powerful performances in this intense race against time that shows courage, sacrifice, and the strength of the human spirit. The Camp Fire was the deadliest in California history. What’s crazy is that the movie was filmed in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Two months after filming, the Southfork wildfire devastated that town.

The film was directed by Paul Greengrass. Screenwriting credits go to Paul Greengrass and Brad Ingelsby. Already, the film has been nominated for 4 awards and won one of them.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

This is a very intense disaster movie with constant danger, frightening wildfire scenes, emotional distress involving children, and some strong language. While the story itself is uplifting and inspiring, the intensity makes it best suited for adults and older teens. Sensitive viewers may find parts overwhelming.

• Profanity, including several F-bombs
• We see a couple of threatening men with guns
• We see the devastating destruction of buildings and vehicles after the fire.

FEATURED PRODUCT:

The movie is based on the 2021 book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson.

You can snag a copy on Amazon.

THEMES:

• Courage

• Sacrifice

• Redemption

• Teamwork

• Faith in humanity

• Selfless service

• Hope in crisis

THINGS I LIKED:

• Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey gives us a fantastic, grounded, and emotional performance. He played Kevin McKay, the bus driver, who drove 30 miles and over five hours to rescue the children from Ponderosa Elementary School and evacuate them to safety in Chico, California. What’s even more amazing is that he had only been a bus driver for a short time before the fire hit.

• Matthew McConaughey invited his real-life family members to play his mom and son in the film! I love that!

• Oscar-nominee America Ferrera’s strength and compassion as a devoted teacher is a tribute to all teachers who can remain calm under extremely difficult circumstances. In real life, there was another teacher on the bus, Abbie Davis. She didn’t want to be included in the telling of the movie, so the director respected her wishes.

• The rest of the cast all looked and felt like real people. That’s because they were! Many real-life emergency service workers who helped out during the Paradise fire appeared in the movie as Extras.

• My first question is, how on earth did they film this movie? Everything looks so terrifyingly realistic! It has even been nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Achievement in Visual Effects.” Wow. Well deserved. Congratulations to cinematographer Pål Ulvik Rokseth and the visual effects team.

• The powerful true-life inspiration turns the action flick into a more emotional drama.

• I was impressed that so many of the children said “thank you” to the bus driver when he dropped them off at home on Day 1. What polite and thoughtful kids! How often do we thank the many people in our lives who show us kindness?
• It’s fascinating and sobering to see how many people were frantically trying to help the citizens survive this horrible ordeal. With so many moving parts, the city workers deserve praise. They are true heroes.
• The action is non-stop throughout almost the entire movie. You definitely feel the urgency.
• It’s crazy how quickly the skies became dark when the winds started blowing with flames.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• Knowing that Paradise, California, was almost completely wiped off the map during the 2018 fire makes this film extremely difficult to watch. I remember seeing images of the devastation on the news after the fires raged through the town. I was amazed that anyone survived. Eighty-five people perished in the fire, and over 13,500 homes were destroyed. Another 18,000 structures were destroyed. It’s estimated that there were over $16 billion in losses.

• The nonstop intensity and sound effects of cars honking, people screaming, and fire cracking can be emotionally exhausting.

• I hate shaky cam, but this movie kind of warranted it to capture the chaos and danger. If you get vertigo easily, you’ll need to look away often! Try to watch this on the largest screen possible; smaller screens will make the shaky-cam effect worse.

• With a movie this long, it would have been nice to get to know a few more of the characters better to take it to another level.
• Those poor children went through so much trauma. I’m talking about the real people who went through all of this. I hope they’re all doing okay now.
• I would love to have seen photos of the real people who were involved with these key events at the end of the movie.

FUNNY LINES:

This is not a comedy, and there are very few light moments due to the seriousness of the subject matter.

INTERESTING LINES:

“Keep it calm for the kids.” –  Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera)

“I have a lost bus.” –  Ruby  (Ashlie Atkinson)

“This is a mass casualty incident.” –  Ray Martinez  (Yul Vazquez)

“Are you scared? I know. I’m scared too.”  – Mary Ludwig  (America Ferrera)

MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU ALSO MIGHT LIKE:

• Only the Brave: https://moviereviewmom.com/only-the-brave-serves-up-emotional-tribute-piping-hot/

• Deepwater Horizon:  https://moviereviewmom.com/deepwater-horizon-pays-a-respectable-and-riveting-tribute-to-the-worst-oil-disaster-in-us-history/

• 13 Lives:  https://moviereviewmom.com/thirteen-lives-and-cave-rescue-movie-review/

WATCH THE Movie Review Mom YOUTUBE REVIEW WITH THIS LINK:

Coming soon!

@MovieReviewMom  @TrinaBoice

Thank you so much for your financial support on Patreon!
Be sure to check out all of the gifts you can receive when you donate to Movie Review Mom on Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/m/MovieReviewMom