11 Movies Like The Lost Bus You Must See

Helmed by Paul Greengrass, ‘The Lost Bus’ is based on Lizzie Johnson’s non-fiction book ‘Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire’ on the subject of the 2018 Camp Fire. The narrative follows Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera), a dedicated school teacher, and Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey), a wayward school bus driver, who work together to transport a busload of children to safety through the raging calamity. The events of the Apple TV+ survival drama are rooted in reality, which accentuates the tension on screen and highlights the resilience of human beings in the face of abject horror. If you are in search of more films similar to ‘The Lost Bus,’ the following list will see you through.

11. San Andreas (2015)

Directed by Brad Peyton, ‘San Andreas’ is set around a massive earthquake originating along the San Andreas fault in California. Measuring nine on the Richter scale, the natural disaster rips the ground apart, swallowing people and infrastructure. As the situation progressively deteriorates, Los Angeles Fire Department search-and-rescue helicopter pilot Ray Gaines (Dwayne Johnson) embarks on a mission to travel to San Francisco and save his estranged wife, Emma (Carla Gugino), and their daughter, Blake (Alexandra Daddario). Navigating through the hellish landscape, the challenges in front of Ray mirror those faced by Kevin McKay in ‘The Lost Bus.’

10. Adrift (2018)

Inspired by the book ‘Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea’ by Tami Oldham Ashcraft, ‘Adrift’ tells a true story set around Hurricane Raymond in 1983. Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin) set sail on a luxury yacht from Tahiti to San Diego, California, over the Pacific Ocean. Calamity strikes when they are on the water, and Tami wakes up in the aftermath to find Richard badly injured and adrift in the sea. With the vessel in ruin and no sign of life in sight, she struggles to find a way to survive and save her partner’s life. The desperate struggle in the face of a natural disaster echoes the theme of ‘The Lost Bus.’

9. Deep Impact (1998)

‘Deep Impact,’ directed by Mimi Leder, depicts a fictional scenario of a comet headed toward Earth and the US government’s attempts to minimize the impact of the impending collision. After the information becomes public through the efforts of a reporter, the President announces his plan of sending a team of astronauts on the comet to lay down explosives, in an attempt to blow it up. Even as the execution of the plan is underway, panic spreads across the globe as humanity prepares for the worst. Much like ‘The Lost Bus,’ the narrative shows humans performing to the best of their abilities to save lives, but significantly ups the stakes by making the threat extraterrestrial.

8. The 33 (2015)

Based on the events of the 2010 Copiapó mining disaster in northern Chile and a book titled ‘Deep Down Dark’ by Héctor Tobar, ‘The 33’ retells the story of 33 men being trapped underground when a copper and gold mine collapses on August 5, 2010. It takes the rescue team 69 days to dig through 2,000 feet of rock to save the men, as they battle the heat, lack of oxygen, food, and water in the depths of the earth. Similar to ‘The Lost Bus,’ ‘The 33’ showcases human resilience being pushed to its limits in the face of insurmountable odds, as the will to live dominates all challenges.

7. Tidal Wave (2009)

Originally titled ‘Haeundae,’ the Yoon Je-kyoon directorial ‘Tidal Wave’ is set five years following the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean that occurred in 2004. After suffering a great personal loss in the tragedy, Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won) and Man-sik (Sol Kyung-gu) are trying to rebuild their lives, staying near Haeundae Beach in Busan. However, they find themselves facing a second tsunami one fateful day, and get only a ten-minute head start to save themselves. The survival thriller ups the ante from ‘The Lost Bus,’ combining science fiction with natural disaster.

6. Alive (1993)

Directed by Frank Marshall, ‘Alive’ is inspired by Piers Paul Read’s 1974 non-fiction novel, ‘Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors,’ which itself is based on the experience of a rugby team in Uruguay who found themselves stranded in the Andes after their flight, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, crashed in the region. Forced to survive on their own with no chance of rescue, the players are forced to take desperate measures in order to keep going. The battle for survival for a team is reminiscent of the situation the busload of children find themselves in ‘The Lost Bus.’

5. Everest (2015)

Inspired by the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, where eight climbers lost their lives, ‘Everest,’ directed by Baltasar Kormákur, follows two mountain guides who combine their teams on May 10, 1996, ahead of their final ascent to Mount Everest. However, things rapidly turn south as a storm builds up in the Himalayas, and a fierce blizzard engulfs the group. With the harsh climate considerably worsened, and their resources dwindling, the humans give their all to survive. The indomitable spirit displayed is similar to what Kevin McKay and Mary Ludwig show in leading the children in ‘The Lost Bus.’

4. Thirteen Lives (2022)

Helmed by Ron Howard, ‘Thirteen Lives’ retells the true story of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand. When 12 junior football team players and their assistant coach go on a casual excursion in the caves, they become trapped as a result of an unexpected rainstorm. The incident draws global attention, and the best people for the job come together, along with the Thai forces and more than 10,000 volunteers, to bring the children and their coach out of the flooded caves alive. The role of the coach through the ordeal is what the teacher and the bus driver play in ‘The Lost Bus.’

3. Greenland (2020)

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh, ‘Greenland’ stars Gerard Butler as John Garrity, a structural engineer living in Atlanta, Georgia, who faces the end-of-the-world scenario as a massive comet comes hurtling toward Earth. With news of doom and disaster coming in from across the globe, John races against time to take his estranged wife, Allison (Morena Baccarin), and their son, Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd), to safety. In between, they discover the best and worst that humanity has to offer, and people realise that they are likely in the endgame of their lives. The dangers that they go through are similar to what the school bus with children had to face in ‘The Lost Bus.’

2. Only the Brave (2017)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, ‘Only the Brave’ is based on the GQ article ‘No Exit’ by Sean Flynn and follows an elite crew of firefighters hailing from Prescott, Arizona, called the Granite Mountain Hotshots, as they risk their lives to save others during the Yarnell Hill Fire in June 2013. During the rescue mission, 19 of the 20-member crew get killed. Along with their actions on the field, the film dives into their personal lives, highlighting the sacrifices that they make. ‘Only the Brave’ resonates with ‘The Lost Bus’ as both tell the story of fighting for survival amid a deadly fire.

1. The Impossible (2012)

Based on the experiences of María Belón and her family, ‘The Impossible’ is a biographical disaster movie helmed by J.A. Bayona. It recounts the events of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean that wreaked havoc in the coastal regions around the water body, affecting hundreds of thousands of lives. Naomi Watts stars as Maria Bennett, who, along with her husband, Henry (Ewan McGregor), and their children, is holidaying in Thailand when the tragedy strikes. The family is separated from each other and experiences widespread death and destruction as they try to make their way back to each other. Many parallels can be drawn between ‘The Lost Bus’ and ‘The Impossible,’ with two adults trying their best to guide the children to safety in an environment where none of their safety is guaranteed.