With Logan coming out next month, it’s time to review each of Marvel’s X-Men films from worst to best — including Deadpool and the Wolverine spinoff films. I’ve included clips from each movie in this article, so all you have to do is click on their titles and view the scenes! Enjoy.
9. X-Men: Origins – Wolverine (2009)
This film is a complete and utter disgrace to the comic book movie industry. While it provided some acceptable origins to the clawed superhero, the rest of this film was a giant mess. With horrible CGI (especially the claws), under-developed characters, and an overall really dumb plot, this film is one you should pass on. And we’re still waiting on that Gambit movie, Fox…
8. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
X-Men: The Last Stand isn’t a terrible film, and offers a pretty satisfying conclusion to the mutants’ original trilogy. However, the Dark Phoenix storyline was not very great and it was hard to enjoy a villain who (A) killed off Professor X and (B) barely said a word throughout the film. The choice to drop Mystique out of the story was a bad choice as well, considering she’s one of the best characters to come out of this franchise.
7. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
X-Men: Apocalypse is in no way, shape, or form a bad film. It ended the X-Men “Beginnings” Trilogy on a high note and left me very excited for the new trilogy, and a new generation of X-Men. Unfortunately, the choice to sideline and under-develop major characters like Psylocke, Storm, and Angel was not met with my approval, and the cheesy titular villain made the film a bit of a disappointment for some fans.
6. X-Men (2000)
When I look at the original X-Men film and realize it came out a little less than two decades ago, it makes me smile at the evolution of comic book films as a whole. While the special effects definitely don’t wow people as much as they did back in 2000, the film serves as a landmark in the genre and is still a very fun and awesome movie altogether. If this hadn’t been released, who knows where superhero movies would be today?
5. The Wolverine (2013)
The Wolverine isn’t a terrible film. It has a lot of great moments and fantastic visuals, making it much better than its predecessor X-Men Origins. However, some of the writing is dull, and the film gets very silly in the third act, wasting the characters of Viper and the Silver Samurai. The film is also light on action, even though the scenes it offers are very good and fun to watch.
4. X-Men: First Class (2011)
X-Men: First Class served as an origin story for many of the mutants in the original X-Men films, and is very great at doing that. It not only gave fans the beginnings of Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique, but also more minor characters like Emma Frost, Beast, and Havoc. The special effects were on-point, and First Class is not only one of the best X-Men films, it’s also one of the best superhero films, too.
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
X-Men: Days of Future Past brought a fan-favorite storyline from the comics to the big screen, reuniting us with the original cast and giving us more of the First Class actors, as well. With amazing introductions of new mutants like Evan Peters’ Quicksilver, and stunning action sequences, Days of Future Past left fans wanting more immediately, and they got it with an equally good “Rogue Cut” on Blu-Ray.
2. Deadpool (2016)
Deadpool isn’t just one of the best X-Men films, it’s one of Marvel’s best films overall. It’s filled with awesome action sequences, fourth-wall-breaks, and humor that never becomes stale or unoriginal. The characters are well-developed, and while the film has small pacing issues, it’s a solid film overall, and doesn’t bother setting up other movies in Marvel’s roster of upcoming films.
1. X2: X-Men United (2003)
When you look at the more recent entries in the franchise, it’s easy to give in to their over-the-top special effects and stellar stories & direction. But the incredible follow-up to the first film is truly the best and will be for quite a while. New characters like Nightcrawler and Lady Deathstrike dominate in X2, and the action sequences and tremendous story make one of the earliest entry the best.
