he Lost Bus is the latest film from director and co-writer Paul Greengrass. Based on Lizzie Johnson’s non-fiction 2021 book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire, this is the tale of Kevin McKay, a bus driver who brought 22 children to safety during the 2018 Camp Fire, which was one of the deadliest and most destructive fires in California history. It is important to know this, because as a true story, there are always considerations in how to approach material.
In the real story, there were two teachers present on the bus, not just one. That one teacher, Mary-played by America Ferrera-has taken on the story of both women. Kevin’s story has been beefed up with family drama at home. While hewing closer to the full, actual story might have served history better, the question becomes, does it serve the film better? In the case of this film, it is ultimately about the way in which the raging fire and those sent to save lives are depicted, as opposed to any finer details of personal veracity.
The film features, full stop, the most stunning and realistic mixture of practical and cgi fire effects this reviewer has ever seen. A very strong contender for the special effects Oscar, and there should be little question. There are times where the film seems to shift from the perspective of the humans, and you feel as though the camera is depicting a point of view of the flames as they engulf or even chase, everything around them. This constant motion and approach keeps the film going when the script itself somewhat lags.
Courtesy Apple
This is essentially a disaster film, but not in the sense of something like The Towering Inferno or Poseidon Adventure. It shares in common elements with its director’s best film, United 93, though it lacks the inevitability and raw emotional pull of that work. This is because it both takes perhaps a bit too long to set up situations and characters we do not really get to know, for payoffs that may matter for the characters but only kind of matter to us.
That this works as well as it does is not because of a well meaning but clunky script, and is almost entirely down to the production, the direction and a superb cast doing yeoman work with what they have. It is, of course, hard to tell a two-plus hour story that is only about a pair of adults guiding children through a fire, when every moment of what happened is based on true, recent events. For a director who loves a documentary touch, Greengrass is not afraid to try to liven things up. The problem is that his attempts, from a script point, often feel ham fisted and predictable.
This is a film that could have benefitted from less “at home” drama and focused more on the rescue efforts by both Kevin and Mary, as well as the team of emergency service people lead by Ray Martinez, the Cal Fire division chief played with absolute dedication and serious gravity by Yul Vasquez. The most compelling parts of this film are when the characters in danger or trying to rescue others from danger, are going through their ordeals. In these scenes, we get to know and care about them because their actions speak more loudly than words.
Courtesy Apple
All of this said, despite the tepid start and clunky dialogue, this is a film that is often thrilling, compelling and entertaining. That this works as well as it does is down to the committed cast and exceptional dramatic action staging by the director. If you can look past the rather generic opening and by the numbers story beats, there is a solid film to be found here.
The Lost Bus is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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