There’s been a disturbing trend as of late: audiences no longer go to the theater in droves to see mid-budget original movies and adult thrillers. Given that, people may be wondering where all the filmmakers who specialized in just such types of movies have gone. The answer being “to streaming” is, while technically correct, not quite adequate, especially in the case of original streaming features that aren’t marketed properly, if at all. The truth is that most streaming services are sitting on a gold mine of unsung, underseen gems, movies that barely make a blip in the culture because they’re not given the chance. Instead, they sit on the service, hoping for a moment when someone, anyone, might choose them at random to watch, based on little more than a Photoshopped image of the lead actors and a nondescript title.
That’s precisely the case with “The Lost Bus,” released on September 19 of last year on Apple TV. Despite starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera as well as being co-written and directed by Paul Greengrass, the film came and went in the fall of 2025. It left behind a small but unfortunate whiff of discourse, due to people on social media seeing a basic, reductive description of the movie equating its depiction of the 2018 Paradise, California wildfire as being akin to “Speed” after the film premiered at TIFF. To be fair, some folks were still reeling from the latest, devastating wave of wildfires in southern California in January of 2025, and likely weren’t up for revisiting the topic so soon. All that said, Greengrass’ film is so much more than a “Speed” riff. It’s an intense, sober, thoughtful thriller, and it’s one of the best movies on Apple TV to date.
The Lost Bus proves Paul Greengrass’ prowess as a filmmaker
Like most classic adult thrillers, the basic plot and structure of “The Lost Bus” is simple. Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey), a school bus driver in Paradise, CA trying to take care of his family while making ends meet with his job, finds himself near an elementary school in need of evacuation vehicles once a wildfire sparks to life and citizens are told to evacuate. Picking up school teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera) and 22 children, Kevin quickly faces a myriad of natural and man-made obstacles on a long, harrowing journey to safety. While the film certainly features a handful of thrilling setpieces that perhaps wouldn’t be out of place in a more frivolous action movie, Paul Greengrass brings such a mastery of tone to the movie which allows it to be entertaining without ever feeling like it’s making light of the incident.
That’s a quality which Greengrass has specialized in his entire career. He brought similar tenderness to films like “Bloody Sunday” and “United 93,” understanding their roots in real-life people and events. He also gave his more lighthearted features such as “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Green Zone” some added depth and realism due to his signature style. This auteurist approach makes his work remarkably consistent. His prior film to “The Lost Bus,” 2020’s “News of the World,” holds an 88% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes; “The Lost Bus” has the exact same aggregate Tomatometer rating. If you’re a fan of Greengrass or even just one of his films, you should give “The Lost Bus” a watch.
The Lost Bus is reminiscent of several classic adult thrillers
In addition to “The Lost Bus” being a Paul Greengrass movie through and through (the camera is, as is Greengrass’ style, remarkably untethered), the film also feels akin to other classic adult thrillers. Comparing it to Jan De Bont’s “Speed” is more of a shorthand than anything else, as the majority of both movies take place with the protagonists stuck on a bus in danger. A more apt comparison would be a disaster film along the lines of “The Poseidon Adventure” or “Last Breath” (another woefully underseen 2025 film). There’s an experiential aspect to the movie similar to Sam Mendes’ “1917,” with Greengrass and his cinematographer Pål Ulvik Rokseth keeping the viewer feeling like they’re with the characters as much as possible. There’s also the element of the shaky sanity of those on the endangered bus, and that element combined with the ever-present and pervasive sense of mortal danger surrounding them recalls Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “The Wages of Fear” from 1953, as well as William Friedkin’s box office flop but cult favorite remake “Sorcerer,” from 1977.
Obviously, with a pedigree and a tone like all this, there were hopes for some awards recognition for the film, and the fact that it got lost in the shuffle of such a busy and impressive year for cinema is unfortunate timing. There’s also the element that “The Lost Bus” isn’t the best type of film for average streaming viewers — for better or worse, streaming is still largely seen as a source of light entertainment, something for comfort watches more than audiences taking a chance on meatier, heavier material. If you have Apple TV and a taste for an expertly done, nerve-shredding adult thriller, however, then “The Lost Bus” is undeniably your best bet.