Although based on the true-to-life incident of the 2018 Camp Fire, Matthew McConaughey’s The Lost Bus takes things a bit far away from reality to make the film a thriller survival.
Following Kevin, a school-bus driver who picks up 22 kids and a teacher from an elementary school in Butte County, The Lost Bus follows the chaos of a wildfire raging through the county while Kevin tries to get out with the children alive. Respect to the real-life Kevin, who actually did all of it, but Matthew McConaughey’s The Lost Bus may just have dramatized the events more than normal.
For starters, one big plot point about the movie is how Kevin is worried about his teenage son being stuck in Magalia. However, according to a 2018 CNN Report, the real-life Kevin revealed that his family had already been picked up and were safe at the Chico evacuation zone long before he made the decision to save the kids.
This was one of the major deviations that Paul Greengrass took the liberty of taking while making the movie. So… where does the historical accuracy truly end?
Matthew McConaughey’s The Lost Bus Isn’t as Accurate as it Seems
Kevin did pick up the 22 kids and an elementary teacher, and he did drive them to safety from the raging 2018 Camp Fire. But that’s almost where the historical accuracy ends.
In the movie, there were looters waving guns on the freeway and trying to get on the bus, which was completely dramatized to heighten the tension. Kevin did take the backroads to try and swerve away from the traffic, but in real life, he was turned away by the authorities.
Kevin certainly didn’t stand in the middle of the road and try to wait out the fire because that wouldn’t have worked in real life. According to Decider, the bus was most likely stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic over a 30-mile road, which turned it into a five-hour journey.
Another significant change in the movie was the complete loss of radio communication, giving the apt title The “Lost” Bus. However, there was scattered communication through mobile phones, so the bus was never really ‘lost’.
Although the real-life Kevin did a brave job of saving the lives of 22 kids, an elementary teacher, and a 20-year-old preschool teacher (whom Kevin McKay picked up along the way), the film was certainly highly dramatized to heighten the tension… and it worked.
Key Facts About The Lost Bus
Director Paul Greengrass Was Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Jaws For Cinematic Shots
Director Paul Greengrass and cinematographer Pål Ulvik Rokseth (who did an admirable job) included tons of shots of the fire moving through dry grounds and branches and spreading rapidly.
Although it looked beautiful in the movie, Greengrass also revealed that he was inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Jaws to ‘personify’ fire as Spielberg did the shark in his movie (per Time)
I remember saying to my long-time editor Goldenberg, ‘This film needs the shark. We need to personify the fires like the shark in Jaws’,
He continued,
That’s why I created those shots of the fire moving. So you felt its voracious appetite and then its insidious character at the end when they get trapped.
Of course, the trick worked out beautifully as every cinematic shot of the fire moving towards the people sent shivers down the audience. The Lost Bus is easily one of the best movies of 2025 and could probably become a contender for the Oscars 2026 (considering that the film had a limited theatrical release).
What are your thoughts about Matthew McConaughey’s fiery flick? Let us know in the comments down below.
The Lost Bus is available to stream on Apple TV+ (USA).
