Since his feature directorial debut in 2016, Dan Trachtenberg has become one of the most interesting genre directors in Hollywood. His bold, inventive world-building and willingness to take risks have quickly set him apart from his contemporaries. While his filmography is still relatively lean, his work across multiple genres has earned consistent praise from critics.
Filmmaking has been second nature to him since he was a child. With his parents’ support, Dan Trachtenberg made his first video at age three with his mother’s help. Since then, Trachtenberg has gone from being a film buff to one of modern cinema’s most critically acclaimed filmmakers. Rather than relying solely on Box-Office earnings, the article ranks every Dan Trachtenberg feature film by how critics have responded, drawing on reviews, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes scores where available.
4. Predator: Badlands (2025)
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 71%
Although the 2025 Predator: Badlands is one of Dan Trachtenberg’s more recent works, its reception is more mixed than that of his other films. The film’s plot centered on Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator cast out by his tribe for being considered too weak. Isolated and forced to fend for himself, Dek forms an unlikely partnership with a damaged Weyland-Yutani Corporation synthetic, Thia (Elle Fanning).
Badlands’ story shifts the usual Predator perspective by placing the audience alongside Dek as he learns to survive without his clan’s protection. Instead of haunting humans, Dek must confront the consequences of his exile and navigate a world that views him as prey. Critics applauded Trachtenberg’s ambition in this installment, especially with the shift in perspective. However, this also changed the time significantly for some fans of the franchise. Nevertheless, Badlands was again another Dan Trachtenberg filmmaking masterclass.
3. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 76%
The 2016 sci-fi horror thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane was both Dan Trachtenberg’s directorial debut and breakthrough feature film. Although he had directed three short films before 10 Cloverfield Lane, as a first-time director on the big screen, critics praised Trachtenberg’s powerful use of the film’s confined setting. The majority of the movie takes place in a bunker, creating claustrophobic tension and uncertainty. The film’s plot follows Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young woman who wakes up in an underground bunker after a car accident.
The man who rescued her, Howard (John Goodman), insists he saved her from a catastrophic event that has supposedly made the outside world uninhabitable. Confined with Howard and another occupant named Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) Michelle struggles to understand whether she’s being protected or imprisoned. The bunker’s strict rules, locked doors, and Howard’s erratic behavior create constant uncertainty about what’s real. Beyond its critical success, 10 Cloverfield Lane was also a commercial hit, grossing $110.2 million against its $15 million production budget.
2. Prey (2022)
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 79%
The fifth installment, Prey, was the first time Dan Trachtenberg joined the Predator film series. Having been a hit franchise, Trachtenberg’s Prey was a prequel/sequel which, chronologically, takes place before its predecessors. Set in 1719, Prey follows Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche woman who dreams of proving herself as a skilled hunter. When strange signs appear in the forest and livestock turn up mysteriously killed, she suspects a powerful new threat has arrived.
Determined to protect her tribe, Naru ventures into the wilderness, only to discover that the intruder is a highly advanced alien Predator on its first hunt on Earth. Critics and audiences were particularly drawn to the fresh take on the film series. Dan Trachtenberg’s direction draws on the “back-to-basics” Predator story, stripping away some of the franchise’s established over-the-top sci-fi tropes.
1. Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
IMDb: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Metacritic: 78%
Predator: Killer of Killers remains Dan Trachtenberg’s most critically acclaimed movie. Critics praised the film for its imaginative structure, vivid action, and its push of the Predator mythology. As an anthology, Killer of Killers features three distinct storylines set in Viking-era, feudal Japan, and World War II. This allowed for wildly different styles and tones, making it a bold creative experiment that paid off massively. Produced on a $50 million budget, Predator: Killer of Killers was Dan Trachtenberg’s first film of 2025.
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