5 Movies Like Matthew McConaughey's The Lost Bus

With "The Lost Bus," director Paul Greengrass brings life to the devastation that occurred in the town of Paradise during the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California's history. This heart-pounding disaster survival film based on a true story stars Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay, a bus driver who is tasked with transporting a group of students and their teachers out of the evacuation zone during the fires. But fire, as we know, doesn't travel in a straight line, and their journey is increasingly treacherous as they flee the flames.

After a limited theatrical run, "The Lost Bus," which also stars Oscar nominee America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez, and Ashlie Atkinson, premiered on Apple TV+ to positive reviews. If you've already seen the film and it kept you breathless throughout its entire runtime, making you hungry for similar stories, don't worry — we've compiled a short list of other movies that would be the perfect follow-up to Matthew McConaughey's latest star vehicle. Some are based on real-life disasters, others are quieter films in which fire plays a key role, but they're all thrilling.

While "The Lost Bus" revolves around the evacuation process of the Paradise wild fire in real time, the documentary "Rebuilding Paradise" takes a look at the devastating aftermath, as a community destroyed by the natural disaster comes together again. Ron Howard directs with a sense of empathy and rage, honoring the experiences of those who survived the wild fires while bringing to task the electric company whose neglected infrastructure played a key role in the massive conflagration. 

Although it's a documentary, there are moments that wouldn't feel out of place in an action film, thanks to Howard's decision to incorporate actual cell phone footage of individuals attempting to escape Paradise, demonstrating the unpredictability and overwhelming power of a wild fire raging out of control. But, despite the devastation, "Rebuilding Paradise" has an element of hope to it, as many of those displaced return in the hopes of rebuilding their homes, their community, and their lives, against all odds.

Director Paul Greengrass has developed something of a reputation for his work in the disaster subgenre, taking real-life horrors and dramatizing them for the big screen. Before "The Lost Bus," he directed "22 July," which tells the deeply upsetting story of Anders Behring Breivik, who carried out the deadliest terrorist attacks ever committed on Norwegian soil on the titular date. While part of the attacks involved a bombing at government buildings, the lion's share of "22 July" is devoted to the shootings on the island of Utøya, where Breivik murdered 69 teenagers attending a leadership camp. 

Unrelenting in their sheer carnage, these attacks horrified the entire world and traumatized a generation of Norwegian youth. This film adaptation follows the experiences of one teenager, Viljar (Jonas Strand Gravli), through his terrifying day on the island, his efforts to recover from severe injury, and his ongoing struggles with survivor's guilt. By zeroing in on one figure out of the hundreds affected by the attacks, we're able to see the human toll of this unprecedented devastation.

Directed by Paul Dano in his feature debut, fire — both literal and metaphorical — is ever-present in "Wildlife." It stars Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal as a married couple whose flame has long since died out, and Ed Oxenbould as their teenage son attempting to live with their relationship crumbling in real time. Jerry (Gyllenhaal) struggles to keep a job, and in a last-ditch attempt to provide for his family decides to take on the dangerous and low-paying work of fighting seasonal forest fires. 

This is not just an effort to earn money, though, but to reclaim control of a life that's careening out of his control and to reassert his sense of masculinity. He tries to make fire bend to his will, clumsily attempting arson to take out his wife's new boyfriend, but fails in this as well. With strong, intimate performances from the three stars, "Wildlife's" understated drama may be the perfect palette cleanser after a series of disaster films.

Like Paul Greengrass, director Ron Howard knows his way around a survival drama — one of his most popular films is "Apollo 13," which details the struggles of an Apollo crew attempting a safe return to Earth after a catastrophic capsule failure. He revisited the genre with the inspiring "Thirteen Lives," which tells the remarkable true story of a Thai boys' soccer team trapped in an underground cave system after a freak monsoon. The clock is ticking to recover the boys (as hope is not high that they will be found alive) before the cave floods further.

A team of expert cave divers from Britain (played by Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen, and Joel Edgerton, amongst others) is assembled to attempt the impossible. The math shifts dramatically when the entire team and its assistant coach is discovered, malnourished but otherwise alive and well, in a pocket of the system that remains above water. How on Earth are they supposed to get them all out through a cave system that even the Royal Thai Navy SEALs are struggling to navigate? "Thirteen Lives" captures the rollercoaster ride of an unbelievable rescue mission with a panache that only Ron Howard can bring.

Fire's terrifying, to be sure. It devours everything in its path and shows no mercy. Water, however, can be just as devastating, as we see in J. A. Bayona's "The Impossible," another thrilling true-story survival film set in Thailand. It follows a British family whose vacation turns into a nightmare when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami strikes their resort on the island of Khao Lak. They somehow survive being swept away by the powerful water, but they're left separated. Eventually, the mother and eldest son (played by Naomi Watts and a young Tom Holland) find one another, as do the father (Ewan McGregor) and the two youngest sons. But, weighed down by injuries and with the island in chaos, it's hard to imagine how they'll ever be reunited. 

Both gut-wrenching and deeply moving, "The Impossible" showcases the indomitable human spirit, how in our most desperate hour people have a surprising capacity to help one another. Come for the practical effects spectacle of a giant wall of water, stay for the heartbreaking scene in which Ewan McGregor's character attempts to call his family back home in the U.K. and completely breaks down. Watts and Holland are also on top form here, bouncing off each other brilliantly in some tear-jerking scenes. If you like watching movies guaranteed to make you cry, "The Impossible" is a must.