Every X-Men Movie Ranked
10. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
In the 2000s, some said that X-Men: The Last Stand was the worst superhero film to ever be released, while others said that it was Brett Ratner’s perfect masterpiece of stupidity. People hated it.
Time has proven that things can always get worse.
For a start, all of the good guys die, and what sort of superhero movie fan from pre-Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy wants to go and see the final piece of a franchise when all of the heroes you’ve invested so much time in die at the end? Furthermore, the plot – which centres around a resurrected Jean Grey fighting for Magneto in a war against humanity (which is attempting to reverse mutations with a vaccination) – lacks surprises, and the decisions the characters are written to make seem nonsensical in the grand scheme of things.
There are, however, some fairly cool moments involving Ben Foster’s Angel and Ian McKellen’s Magneto, as well as some interesting ideas underpinning the below-par execution, making the movie acceptable enough to not completely ruin the original trilogy.
9. The Wolverine (2013)
The second standalone Wolverine film was a prequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and it felt like a new and fresh take on the much-loved Wolverine character.
James Mangold took Logan to Japan and filled his film with the iconography of the samurai, of bullet trains, of yakuza, and with a relatively high level of violence compared to the rest of the franchise to this point. Some of the visuals were stunning.
Stumbling blocks in development, such as a change of director (from Darren Aronofsky, who was originally signed to the project, to James Mangold who was also at the helm for Logan), inevitably led to issues that caused the film to be far from perfect, but hints of the magnificent partnership between James Mangold and Hugh Jackman were present.
Despite what may seem like a low spot for this film at first glance, The Wolverine is levels above the films already listed and belongs closer to the franchise’s best movie than our bottom film in terms of quality.
8. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
A superhero who breaks the fourth wall has ample opportunity to call out genre tropes and explain to an audience the intricacies of things that might not otherwise translate very well, which is why Deadpool was always the best (and possibly only) candidate to merge the universes of the (formerly) Fox-owned X-Men and the superhero genre’s leading brand, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in 2024.
In the blood-soaked, in-joke-heavy debut of Deadpool (and the R-rating) in the MCU, Ryan Reynolds’ fan-favourite motormouth must find himself a Wolverine from another universe to restore balance to his own universe and save his loved ones. Meanwhile, the evil pencil pushers of the TVA are trying to restore balance by ensuring he doesn’t complete his mission. It’s low on stakes but high in laughs, and it came along just when the MCU was beginning to lose momentum due to its overreliance on formula.
Any film merging the talents of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, and the beloved comic book characters they have each embodied for years, was always going to be a crowd pleaser – the fast-talking quip machine and the ever-so-serious loner were a match made in heaven. But it’s the context in which this film was released – on the cusp of the MCU debuting former Fox franchises of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four; a suffering MCU without an unquestionable hit in years and less momentum than ever before – that makes it such an enjoyable movie.
Deadpool should always be self-aware, and that self-awareness rightly directs this third Deadpool entry away from the formula of its new parent company. It’s not exactly original, but it’s fresh enough to scratch the itch that many a Marvel fan had not had scratched since Avengers: Endgame 5 years prior (2019), and it satisfies some of the fallen off Marvel viewers equally.
Recommended for you: Deadpool and Wolverine Films Ranked
7. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Because Brett Ratner had done such a terrible job of finishing his original trilogy with X-Men: The Last Stand, Bryan Singer returned to the X-Men franchise for Days of Future Past (2014) to issue a $200million apology to the loyal fans who’d been let down when he abandoned the franchise for failed DC movie venture Superman Returns after X2 in the early 2000s.
The problem here was that the apology angle all seemed like PR spin for what was essentially a large reset switch for the X-Men universe, and felt less sincere and heartfelt than a dodged glance with a former spouse.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine going back in time to help out the younger and more fresh cast of the prequels was exciting – especially in a pre-multiverse era – but Days of Future Past is another X-Men entry lacking believable motivations for its characters; a story that you’re supposed to absorb without too many questions.
Too much in this movie felt forced, far-fetched and/or convenient. So much so that even Jennifer Lawrence’s best portrayal of Mystique couldn’t lift this beyond the tremendous movies to come on this list.
Days of Future Past is good. It’s fun. But we all expect something more from the X-Men, don’t we?
Yo, don’t drag in spiderman 3 hate (x-men last stand was absolute shit tho)
So happy about deadpool