Welcome to my next ranking in time for a film releasing on June 7 (if you want you can check that out right now). But this time we will be talking about one of the longest running franchises without any long sabbaticals, or complete reboots, that will be ending very soon, the X-Men series. Now these films have been inconsistent when it comes to their receptions as some are very well received, not well received or somewhere in the middle. Now people have been trashing them of late, calling them overrated, and what not, even if there are arguably more good films than bad in my opinion which is what we are going to discuss in this post. So without further ado lets take a look at all 11 X-Men movies counting the spin-offs from X-Men in 2000 to Deadpool 2 in 2018.
11. X-Men Origins Wolverine
Warning, this entry will contain excessive ranting, and anger. Oh boy where do I start with this train-wreck of a film. This really should not come as a surprise, since almost everyone considers this the worst X-Men film, and for very good reason. This movie is just made to infuriate fans of the franchise, and contains so many missed opportunities. I mean the film kind of retcons X-2 in many ways, and almost treats Wolverine getting his powers as some kind of joke, instead of how he was traumatized by it in flashbacks in that movie. Characters that did not even to be in the film, are completely wasted like Blob, Gambit, and especially Deadpool who thankfully redeemed himself years later with his actual Deadpool performance. The action is also horribly edited, and so cartoonish that makes it almost laughably bad to to watch. In fact there are many scenes like that throughout the film, where the scene is supposed to be serious but end up being unintentionally hilarious thanks to the overacting of the actors. Also making Wolverine’s wife an agent of Stryker was a pretty stupid decision as it kind of made Wolverines quest for vengeance loss its emotional weight, and it made the character unlikable as well. The only good things I can think of are that Hugh Jackman is trying very hard with the material here, as is Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, and they have some of the best scenes in the film, the most memorable one being the montage of them going through all of the different wars together, which could have been a whole movie itself. So yeah I really hate this film, and it probably is the worst comic book film I have seen by default since I have not seen much of the other truly bad ones (Catwoman, Batman & Robin, Superman IV the Quest For Peace, etc.), and even Fantastic Four has more redeeming qualities than this piece of garbage. The film is so bad that it almost highhandedly killed the X-Men franchise, but thank goodness that First Class released two years later.
10. X-Men the Last Stand
Now this one I find is hated on a bit too much. I mean yes I have mixed feelings on the film itself, and I do think its very flawed, but I don’t thinks its the complete disaster everyone says it is. The biggest problem of this threequel is that, it wants to try and cram two famous stories from the comic into one movie, the Mutant cure, and Dark Phoenix story-lines, and it makes the story feel messy, and leaving certain aspects underdeveloped. If I were the studio, I would have just done one story, since they both have great potential, and it shows that this movie went through a very troubled production. In fact its a little weird how people think of the upcoming Dark Phoenix as a remake of this film, when that was just a subplot in this film, with the cure getting more attention, and being the main story-line. This type of wasted potential is also applied to many of the characters, like Cyclops, and Professor X who are unnecessarily killed off, and Angel, and the Brotherhood of Mutants who are barely in the movie (especially Angel who just can’t be memorable at all in these films). Its a real shame this movie has so many story, and character problems, because it does a lot of things very well. The cast is once again fantastic across the board (Kelsey Grammar is a standout as Hank Mccoy AKA Beast), there are many cool action beats showing off all of the various powers of the mutants, there are some very emotional moments throughout, and when the cure subplot is explored, and is the main focus, it is actually really interesting stuff that raises some valid questions. So, in the end this movie could have been much better if the story had just focused on one story-line, and treated some of the characters better, because what works really works, its just that the film has a lack of focus that prevents it from being just as good as the other two, and is overall a mixed bag in my opinion.
9. X-Men Apocalypse
Now for those of you who read my 30 movies I enjoy more than most post, you are probably wondering, hey I thought this guy liked this movie? Oh I still do like it, its just that the other films are just so good, and this film is not as good as them. I do agree with some of the complaints mainly Apocalypse not being as good as he could have been, the film starting off a bit slow, and the four horsemen, being completely wasted with the exception of Magneto. But I still find it to be a fun movie with a lot of great stuff going for it. The acting is phenomenal across the board both from old, and new comers, the CGI is not nearly as bad as people say, the team dynamic is done very well, the mutant powers are handled very cleverly here, there is a great amount of emotion to the proceedings, some fun action beats, and the film contains some of the most memorable scenes in the entire franchise (the forest scene, the Quicksilver scene, the weapon-X scene, etc.). While it may not be my favorite X-Men film it is still an enjoyable one, that does not deserve the hate it has been getting, and it certainly is not bad enough to make me worried about future movies (well before you know what happened to Fox).
8. The Wolverine
Again same thing with Apocalypse, except I would consider everything up until the third act one of the best X-Men films. The story is refreshingly character driven developing Wolverine’s character more, the acting is incredible throughout (Hugh Jackman of course shines again), the action is amazing, and very well choreographed, and the Japanese setting, and culture presented in the film makes it stand out from the other films, and presents some cool ideas, like Wolverine as a sort of Ronin like figure. Then we have the third act which is what unfortunately prevents the film from being among the very best of the franchise. Its not that its bad, its just that it feels so out of place when compared to the rest of the film, feeling a bit like a cartoon, a far cry from the dramatic storytelling of the rest of the film. Also Madame Viper is a terrible, and painfully generic villain who is probably the most forgettable Marvel villain I’ve seen so that doesn’t help. So if the third act was polished a bit more to fit in with the tone of the film, then this would easily be in the top 5, but it still is a thrilling, and fun adventure with Wolverine, and is a million times better than Origins.
7. X-Men
Ah, now we have the one that started it all, the film that paved the way for many more of its kind to come. I think people have really forgotten how influential this movie is, and what it did for comic book movies. This film was able to set up this world so well, presenting the idea of mutants living among us very well, and showcasing all of the different powers they have as well, and it still a sadly relevant metaphor today, concerning racism, and nonacceptance, thanks to the many conversations concerning both Proffesor X, and Magneto’s ideals. Speaking of which that relationship is developed very well in the film, and is still one of my favorite movie rivalries because of how both characters truly believe what they are doing is the right thing. The actors were also perfectly cast as their character (Hugh Jackman, Ian Mckellan, Patrick Stewart, etc.), the action is a lot of fun, the team dynamic is nailed perfectly here, the tone is very consistent with a lot of good humor, and serious dramatic moments, and the emotional scenes hit hard in many places. Its not a perfect film as it does feel like its busy setting up the universe in some scenes, the effects have not aged incredibly well, and the other villain besides Magneto are just generic henchmen archetypes with cool powers, oh and the less we talk about that one liner Storm said the better (you know what i’m talking about). But even with those flaws its role as one of the kickstarters of today’s comic book movie renaissance should not go unnoticed, and the film deserves all of the credit in the world for it.
6. Deadpool
Oh boy, here comes the complaints about how low this movie is on the list. Well, the reason why I put it so low compared to most other people its that well the movie has some flaws that are more apparent on rewatch. Namely there are a couple of jokes that don’t land as intended, Ajax, and Angel Dust are not very developed as villains, the pacing is a little slow at times, and with the exception of the opening highway chase, the action while fun, is not extremely memorable. But I still love this movie, for being its own thing, and thus standing out among the many comic book movies. Ryan Reynolds is pitch perfect as the Merc with a Mouth who is a great character, the supporting cast is a lot of fun, a lot of the time the humor landed hard, and made me laugh constantly (the opening credits are just genius), and the romance between Wade, and Vanessa was a huge highlight, as they had excellent chemistry with one another, and it provided a great beating heart to the feature, and gave the movie a surprisingly large amount of emotion. This is actually one of the best movies to see around Valentines Day (that’s what I did), because of how romantic it is, and that aspect is what makes it more than just another typical origin film which this film did very well actually (also I love how they make fun of Origins here).
5. Deadpool 2
To be honest I like both Deadpool and Deadpool 2 equally as they are both a lot of fun. But I decided to go with the sequel because of how shocked I was at how close it came to the quality of the first film, and how it even improves upon it in some ways. It develops the character of Wade Wilson showing him going through some tough hardships, it maintains that sharp sense of humor the first had, it introduces great new franchise additions like Cable, and Domino, the action is more present here, and is extremely well crafted, and it has a very touching family message, and what it truly means to belong in one. Like its predecessor though it does have some flaws that keep it from being perfect like, not all of the jokes being winners, Vanessa being killed off so quickly was not very satisfying, and characters like Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Yukio being underutilized. Still this is a great example of a sequel building on what worked while expanding it in the process, and I am surprised to see it not get as rapturous a reception as the first. And yes the mid credits scene is probably the best ever made (again, this franchise loves bashing Origins like I do).
4. X-Men First Class
After Origins made people lose faith in the X-Men franchise, it was this film that came in, and saved it critically. It it weren’t for this film we probably would not have gotten any of the other future movies, so we should really appreciate it more. But even if it wasn’t saving an entire franchise, X-Men First Class is still a dynamite prequel that stands out from crowd. Not only does it work as a prequel presenting who these characters were, and how they became who they are in the present, it also works as a 1960s Cold War period piece, since it incorporates that setting very well into the plot, and it gives the film a unique feeling, and look compared to the other movies, and it led for future films like Days of Future Past, and Apocalypse to lean into their settings more which is one of the things I like about the newer team films. The new cast including James Mcavoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and more is also perfect capturing their characters so well, the characters themselves are all fully realized, and a lot of fun to be with, the action beats are very well done and show off the mutant’s abilities well, and Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw makes for a very menacing, and interesting baddie, that shows Magneto is not the only great villain of the series. While its CGI in some scenes is not the best, and the other members of Shaw’s team don’t do much aside from looking cool, X-Men First Class is great ensemble flick that paved the way for a bright future for the franchise.
3. X-Men Days of Future Past
Now these next three were very hard to rank, not just because I love the all equally, but because they are all among my favorite superhero films of all time. But after a lot of thought, I think I am satisfied by how I ranked them. First lets look at the film that brought both the old, and new cast together for one epic film. Like First Class, the film takes advantage of its 1970s post Vietnam War setting, and not only incorporates into the story but also has some clever directing that makes the film feel even more like a period piece particularly when something is being filmed on an old video camera. The acting is also once again fantastic as both actors both new (James Mcavoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, etc.) and familiar (Hugh Jackman, Ian Mckellen, Patrick Stewart, etc.) do a great job (Evan Peters is an instant fan favorite as Quicksilver), the action is a lot of fun, and very well crafted showing off just what these people can do (do I even need to rave about that perfect Quicksilver scene), the conflict between Professor X, and Magneto and their ideologies is done very well here, and contains some of the best of that shown in these films, many of the characters arcs are developed more here, the film contains many touching, and emotional scenes, and the film ends things off in a very nice way that is really satisfying (especially if your’e not a fan of some certain films). Really my only issues would be Boliver Trask not getting enough screen time to make the impact he could have made (though Peter Dinklage is great in the role), there being many characters that not all of them get enough screen time, and while not really a problem for the movie itself, it does kind of mess up the continuity which does bother, and confuse many fans. But for someone who judges these movies on their own, this film just satisfies me in so many ways, and it shows why X-Men us such a beloved franchise in the first place.
2. Logan
Now we have Hugh Jackman’s swan song as Wolverine, after playing the character for 17 years. Logan is a near masterpiece that give us what we all wanted and more. Like the Wolverine it is very character driven developing Logan’s character arc even more, the action is very violent, and gory going all out with the R-rating, Hugh Jackman, and Patrick Stewart give Oscar worthy performances here in their final roles (still upset they did not get nominated), Dafne Keen gives a star turn as Laura, and is a stand out (I would absolutely see her in a spin off film), the Western tone makes the movie feel unlike any other comic book movie, the tone is very serious but knows when to lighten things up with some good humor, the cinematography is absolutely stunning with many beautiful shots, making this one of the best king, and directed X-Men movies, and of course it is a more than satisfying finale, that ends things off in a way that will make you cry (I almost did that’s for sure, and that’s really saying something since that rarely happens to me). If there was a problem I guess the villains weren’t the strongest, and Boyd Holbrook’s scenery chewing performance as Donald Pierce felt a little out of place, but it was still pretty fun, and the focus was never really meant to be on the villain anyway. So even if Dark Phoenix ends up sucking at least I can live knowing the franchise did have a great ending in this film.
and after a lot of thought my favorite X-Men movie is…
X2: X-Men United
Now it was a hard choice between this, Logan, and Days of Future Past since they are all so good. But I went with this film because I feel like this is the perfect X-Men movie. I mean that as in it just has everything I want out of an X-Men film. It has the great team dynamic, the fantastic performances from everyone (Alan Cumming is very underrated as Nightcrawler), the great touching character driven moments, the well directed, and creative action sequences, the way the mutants abilities are showed off, the great themes and character motivations, the effective villain in Brian Cox’s William Stryker, and the whole themes about acceptance, and racism that are presented here in great effect. This film just contains everything an X-Men movie should have in the best way, and contains all of the of positive aspects of the series that are listed above. I just find it to be the ultimate team movie that just fires on all cylinders, and is a clear example of a sequel just building on what on what made its predecessor so good, and expanding that, and doing more. While it ain’t winning any awards for best title, it will gladly take the honor of being number one on this list.
So that’s my ranking for all 11 X-Men films, and it definitely is quite the franchise with not many of the films being alike. So we have one I absolutely despise, one I’m mixed on, one I merely like, and the rest I either really like or love. For a franchise that has been going on for 19 years, with the receptions varying for each film, I am impressed that I have liked almost all of them. I really do love this franchise and it is odd how I find myself trying to defend now that its being hated on in the wake of the Disney-Fox merger. Hopefully people will come to appreciate these films more as they make a really great series that is sadly ending (I may actually be one of the few who actually want to see this series continue, oh well that’s what I get for liking Apocalypse more than most). So what do you guys think? What are you best and worst X-Men flicks? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts on the franchise? As always feel free to share down below in the comments.
Leave your thoughts down below, and see you guys later!
Review Time 