Every Ben Wheatley Movie, Ranked

Ben Wheatley's entry into the world of big-budget blockbusters, Meg 2: The Trench saw Jason Statham return to battle more giant sharks and other prehistoric sea creatures. The sequel was met with a largely negative critical reception, as reviewers widely considered it to be a derivative and soulless follow-up, lacking the schlocky, self-aware charm that made the first film a surprise hit.

Critics frequently targeted its generic action sequences, uninspired plot, and a general sense of lifelessness that failed to deliver on its B-movie premise. While a minority of critics found some simple, guilty-pleasure fun in its brainless, over-the-top spectacle, the overwhelming consensus was that Meg 2 was a noisy, bloated, and ultimately forgettable sequel. "See you later, chum."

"Despite elements that threaten to drag it down into the depths, Ben Wheatley's Meg sequel (cherish those words) battles a waterlogged script with playful pulpiness, delivering solid summer fin. Sorry, fun." —Ben Travis, Empire

Wheatley's slick Netflix adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's classic novel Rebecca stars Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas, and the story follows a young newlywed who finds herself living in the shadow of her husband's first wife, the mysterious and beautiful Rebecca.

The film received a decidedly mixed-to-negative reception, with critics largely finding it to be a hollow and unnecessary remake. While the lavish production design and strong performances (particularly from Kristin Scott Thomas as prickly housekeeper Mrs. Danvers) were often praised, the film was widely criticized for lacking the suspense, psychological depth, and haunting ambiguity of Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 Best Picture-winning masterpiece. Most reviewers felt this glossy, modernized version ultimately missed the novel's gothic soul.

"Rebecca is a psychologically rich story with so much to pick at and probe. That means decisions need to be made on where to focus, and Wheatley bats about .500 in that respect." —Matt Melis, Consequence

The darkly comic action-thriller Normal finds Wheatley enlisting Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk to play an affable, small-town sheriff whose seemingly ordinary life is upended, forcing him to fend off a relentless onslaught of assassins.

The film has received a generally positive critical reception, with reviewers celebrating Normal as a brisk, wickedly fun, and memorable ride. Critics almost universally praised the combination of Wheatley's stylish direction—which injects dark humor into the bountiful, over-the-top kills—and Odenkirk's soulful lead performance, which grounds the chaos with gravitas and charm. However, several critics found the story to be unoriginal and a step down from similar films, with thin characterization and action set pieces that occasionally felt perfunctory rather than euphoric. But the consensus points to a highly entertaining genre exercise, elevated by its star and director above an otherwise familiar script.

"Like a firecracker with a long fuse, Normal builds up, burns fast, makes a big noise, and then it's gone." —Katie Rife, IndieWire

Filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, In the Earth follows a scientist and a park scout who venture deep into a forest during a deadly virus outbreak. Their journey descends into a terrifying, psychedelic ordeal.

The film was met with a mixed positive reception, with many critics celebrating it as a timely and effective return to Wheatley's horror roots while detractors accused him of getting high on his own supply. Reviewers praised Earth's disorienting, hallucinatory visuals and relentless, unnerving atmosphere while others thought the film was a slog. But it was largely lauded as a chilling and mind-bending piece of folk horror that masterfully captured the paranoia and isolation of its time, delivering a potent and visceral cinematic experience.

"The natural world gives us the resources to live. It also gives us viruses. And while some characters seek to chart aspects of nature and others wish to pay loving tribute (and offer sacrifices) to it, the most resonant notion from Earth's characters is that nature is a living, breathing, and undeniably aggressive entity. How Wheatley translates this notion into a bounty of Pagan paranoia is what makes the film undeniably his." —David Fear, Rolling Stone

Set almost entirely in a derelict warehouse, Free Fire is a high-concept action comedy about an arms deal that descends into a chaotic, feature-length shootout. The film, featuring a star-studded ensemble cast including Brie Larson, Armie Hammer, and Cillian Murphy, received a generally positive critical reception.

Reviewers praised Wheatley for his masterful orchestration of the relentless, bullet-riddled action and the screenplay's sharp, darkly comic dialogue. While some critics found the premise to be a repetitive and exhausting one-note gimmick, many celebrated Free Fire as a stylish, witty, and outrageously entertaining exercise in pure cinematic mayhem with a tidy 90-minute timeline that ensures it doesn't overstay its welcome. 

"Wheatley's riotous Looney Tunes action comedy is a sporadically amusing assault on the senses, but it looks like it was more fun to make than to watch." —Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter

Based on J.G. Ballard's iconic novel, High-Rise stars Tom Hiddleston as a doctor who moves into a luxury tower block that devolves into debauchery and a violent class war. The impressively cast film, which also stars Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Elisabeth Moss, and Luke Evans, was met with a divided but largely positive reception, with critics hailing it as a visually stunning and ambitious satire.

Reviewers praised Wheatley's singular direction for masterfully capturing the source material's dystopian vision and bleak, savage humor. While some found the film to be a chaotic and narratively cold experience, many critics celebrated its audacious style, hypnotic atmosphere, and powerful social commentary, deeming it a bold and unforgettable adaptation.

"There's a sadistic streak in High-Rise that's simultaneously hypnotizing and unnerving. If there's a morality to Wheatley's world, it's nebulous at best." —Sam Fragoso, The Wrap

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead centers on a man who assembles his dysfunctional extended family for a New Year's Eve party at a lavish country house, with simmering tensions inevitably boiling over. The film, starring Neil Maskell (Kill List) and a large ensemble cast, was met with a mixed but generally respectful reception.

Critics praised the film's chaotic, anxiety-inducing energy and the strength of the naturalistic performances, which effectively captured the painful authenticity of a family gathering gone wrong. However, many reviewers found the loose, semi-improvisational style to be dramatically inert and unfocused, resulting in a film that felt more like a taxing, overlong exercise than a compelling narrative.

"Quickly shot on single location, and brought to life collectively and collaboratively by an ensemble cast, Wheatley's latest could have been a minor curiosity to keep the creative juices flowing in-between bigger projects, but there's definitely more under the surface of this relentless barrage of recriminations and reckonings." —Tommaso Tocci, IONCINEMA.com

Wheatley's chilling follow-up to Down Terrace follows a hitman whose new assignment spirals his life and the movie from a gritty crime thriller into a terrifying folk-horror nightmare. The film, starring Neil Maskell, was met with a positive, if deeply unsettled, critical reception.

Reviewers praised Wheatley's masterful genre-bending, celebrating the slow-burn tension that builds to a shocking and unforgettable climax. Its visceral, unflinching violence and ability to create a palpable sense of dread were widely noted and would become a template of sorts for A24 Films, which would launch the following year in 2012. While some critics were frustrated by its enigmatic narrative, most hailed Kill List as a bold, deeply disturbing, and brilliantly crafted horror film that cemented Wheatley's reputation as a fearless filmmaker.

"The movie may leave you scratching your head way too much when it's over. Yet it proves Ben Wheatley not only knows how to make a movie, but he knows how to make three at the same time." —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Ben Wheatley's directorial debut, the micro-budget Down Terrace is a gritty, pitch-black comedy about a dysfunctional family of low-level criminals who begin to suspect there is an informant in their midst.

The film was met with a very positive critical reception and hailed as a raw and impressive first feature. Reviewers celebrated Wheatley for his masterful blending of kitchen-sink realism with the conventions of a violent gangster film, creating a tone that was both brutally grim and hilariously mundane. The naturalistic performances and claustrophobic atmosphere were frequently highlighted. Critics championed Down Terrace as a bold, original, and confident debut that announced the arrival of a major new voice in British cinema.

"Cleverly channeling gangster tropes through a British kitchen-sink soap opera, TV scribe-helmer Ben Wheatley has concocted a nifty black comedy, with a little help from his friends, in Down Terrace." —Ronnie Scheib, Variety

Directed by Wheatley and written by its stars, Alice Lowe (Garth Marenghi's Darkplace legend) and Steve Oram and wife/frequent collaborator Amy Jump, Sightseers is a pitch-black comedy about a meek new couple whose caravan holiday across the British countryside turns into a gleeful killing spree.

The film was met with widespread critical acclaim, celebrated for its perfect balance of mundane British humor and shocking, deadpan violence. Reviewers lavished praise on the lead performances and the sharp, hilarious script, which masterfully satirized suburban tedium. Sightseers was hailed as a uniquely twisted, brilliantly funny, and quintessentially English masterpiece of dark comedy.

"It might not sound much on paper, but it's all in the delivery, the appealing lead performances combining with Wheatley's sudden tonal shifts to produce a film that's funny, sinister and strangely moving." —Matt Glasby, Total Film

Shot in black-and-white, A Field in England is a psychedelic folk-horror film set during the English Civil War, where a group of deserters' search for treasure in a field descends into a nightmarish, hallucinogenic ordeal.

The film received a very positive and often awestruck critical reception. Reviewers celebrated Field as Wheatley's most audacious, experimental, and mind-bending work. Its stunning monochrome cinematography, unsettling atmosphere, and daringly surreal narrative were widely praised. While acknowledging that it could be a challenging and often baffling film, critics hailed A Field in England as a singular, hypnotic, and unforgettable piece of filmmaking from a director at his most formally daring.

"The film is the most formally experimental, and probably the least approachable, of the director's titles to date. But it's further proof of Wheatley's singular sensibilities as a filmmaker." —Jessica Kiang, The Playlist