The Last Bus: The Movie That Should’ve Been in Theaters

I just watched The Last Bus, the new Apple TV+ movie starring Matthew McConaughey and directed by Paul Greengrass — and it’s one of those films that feels like it should have been released in theaters. This movie ties in perfectly with my series about streaming films that could have done really well on the big screen. I covered Amazon Prime movies in a recent post and will be covering Apple titles soon.

With Greengrass (who directed United 93 and two of the Jason Bourne films) behind the camera and McConaughey in the lead, you can feel the cinematic weight from the very beginning. The movie centers on the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California — something I admittedly knew very little about going in. But once the story began, I was pulled in completely.

Thanks for reading Bill Garrison! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The Story

The fire starts at the base of a powerline and spreads almost instantly. The film captures how impossible it is for first responders to stop something that powerful once it’s moving. The chaos, the speed, the confusion — all of it feels real. Communication breaks down, evacuation orders come too late for some, and the sense of panic is overwhelming.

Amid all this, McConaughey plays Kevin, a man who volunteers to help a group of children whose parents can’t reach them in time. Alongside a teacher, played by America Ferrera, he sets out to lead them to safety through a landscape that’s literally burning around them.

The film alternates between Kevin and the kids on one side, and the desperate Cal Fire team led by Chief Martinez (Yul Vazquez) on the other. You can sense the dread and hopelessness in the fire crews as they realize they’re fighting a losing battle. The exhaustion, the radio chatter, the helpless looks — it’s all hauntingly believable. As they slowly accept that they can’t stop the fire, that realization feeds the sense of doom surrounding Kevin and the students, tightening the emotional grip on the audience.

The Middle Stretch

About two-thirds through the movie, the story slows down. The kids on the bus are hot, thirsty, and struggling with the smoke and heat. It’s a quieter stretch that lets the audience breathe before the movie gears up for its final act. The children stay surprisingly calm — no screaming, no chaos. At first, I thought they seemed too composed for what was happening, but in hindsight, it probably mirrors reality more than we think. After all, they did survive.

This section also gives more insight into Kevin. Early on, the movie sets him up as a down-on-his-luck single dad and an unreliable bus driver trying to hold things together. The dispatcher character is a perfect foil — she believes in him but doesn’t always trust him to do the right thing. That tension makes his decision to step up during the fire even more powerful. His choice to help the kids is even more compelling given that he fears his own son and mother may be trapped in the blaze.

The Climax

As the fire closes in, the movie shifts back into high gear. Kevin and the kids face one obstacle after another — blocked roads, falling debris, and the terrifying reality that there’s no clear path to safety. Paul Greengrass directs these scenes with his signature intensity: shaky camera work, quick cuts, and a sense of chaos that still feels grounded.

What really stands out is Kevin’s transformation. The man who once struggled to show up for work now refuses to give up on these kids, no matter the cost. McConaughey plays him with quiet determination instead of movie-hero bravado, which makes the story’s emotional payoff hit even harder.

Faith, Politics, and the Fire Itself

From a Christian and conservative angle, one thing stood out to me: none of the characters ever mention praying for help. Even the most hardened person will pray when their life is at stake. I’m not saying the movie needed a sermon, but a single moment of faith — even desperation — would have added realism and depth to the story.

And while the California wildfires are a deeply political issue — especially with last year’s fires reigniting debates about land management and government response — The Last Bus mostly sidesteps that. The fire chief makes one brief statement at a press conference, but otherwise the film doesn’t take sides. Still, the sheer overwhelming power of the fire almost makes its own political and moral statement: sometimes nature doesn’t wait for government to get its act together.

Final Thoughts

As someone from Oklahoma, I can’t fully grasp what Californians go through with wildfires, just as they might not understand what it’s like to face a tornado. But The Last Bus bridges that gap. It puts you there — in the fear, the chaos, and the humanity that rises up in the middle of it.

It’s a gripping, emotional movie that deserved a big-screen release. Does Apple hope to get more subscribers by creating movies like this, or are they just trying to give quality content to their current ones? I don’t know, but it’s sad that the model of releasing high-quality, mid-budget dramas in theaters has mostly disappeared.

My Score: The Last Bus ranks #187 out of 1,703 movies I’ve seen — putting it solidly in the top 10%. That’s high praise from me. I’d give it 9 out of 10 for Box Office Potential, because with Greengrass and McConaughey at the helm, this easily could have been a major theatrical hit.

Thanks for reading Bill Garrison! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.