With the release of Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine, the Fox X-Men films are finally relevant once again! So, it is time we rank all 15 instalments in the franchise!
15. Dark Phoenix
The final mainline X-Men film was disappointing, to say the least. Featuring stupid characters, poor writing, and an extremely underwhelming villain (Jessica Chastain), it was evidently a product of a tiresome development process and an excess of post-production tampering. It’s not all bad, though, with Jennifer Lawrence delivering her best performance in the role of Mystique, and the train sequence is one of the universe’s best. In addition, Hans Zimmer’s score is a franchise high.
14. The New Mutants
Infamous for its poor quality and even more notorious for its prolonged production, The New Mutants struggles to justify its existence. Though featuring a somewhat stacked cast, the movie is undercooked and mishandles the acting abilities of its leads. The contained setting doesn’t allow for any of the powers to properly be on display, or even look visually appealing. But hey! At least we got Anya Taylor Joy as Magik.
13. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Yet another infamous addition to the list, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is indisputably a blunder of epic proportions. The movie was so poorly received that it became the only film in the X-Men Origins subfranchise, and all other plans were cancelled. But admittedly, the movie is a guilty pleasure, even with its bad editing, poor writing, and contrived plot. The score works, the casting work is excellent, and Taylor Kitsch’s Gambit is a highlight.
12. X-Men: The Last Stand
One of the messiest entries into the FoxVerse, X-Men: The Last Stand was the first of two horrible adaptations of The Phoenix Force. It functions best as a comedy, with unintentionally hilarious lines and even funnier delivery. Vinnie Jones remains one of the funniest additions to the universe, unfortunately feeling out of tone in a movie that is deadly serious.
11. X-Men: Apocalypse
The eleventh film on this list, X-Men: Apocalypse, marks some of the more middling instalments in both the franchise and this ranking. Much of the moving elements in this film work, like some of the new and younger X-Men, specifically Evan Peter’s Quicksilver and his all-timer speed scene set to Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”. What absolutely ruins this movie, though, is the villain, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). He lacks screen presence and is frankly quite boring. It does not help that certain subplots within the movie distract from him, only being marginally better themselves.
10. Deadpool & Wolverine
The top ten brings us to the latest and possibly last film in the FoxVerse, Deadpool & Wolverine. A mixed bag, the movie struggles with its comedy and misses its plot, feeling structureless as if cameos were prioritized over the story. That being said, it is a good time and enjoyable enough.
You can read our full review here.
9. Deadpool
When released in 2016, Deadpool broke boundaries, becoming one of the first R-rated superhero films. It was praised for its wit and its memorable comedy. As I rewatch this movie, the quality continues to degrade retrospectively. With its meta humour becoming more dated and its ugly grey colour grading, the movie is ageing roughly. That being said, Ajax is a solid villain, and Ed Skrein is a welcome addition to this world.
8. Deadpool 2
Taking up the Deadpool mantle, director David Leitch brings a little more visual style to the movie, bringing with him a better villain in the form of Cable (Josh Brolin). The humour is slightly less R-rated, but more meta, enhancing the comedy style for better or for worse. The supporting cast here does get more fleshed out, with scenes such as X-Force and Wade (Ryan Reynolds) spending more time with the X-Men as a trainee. About the same level as the first film, just marginally better.
7. Once Upon A Deadpool
I’ll admit it, I’m cheating with this one, despite getting a release as a different movie, it is essentially a PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2, with added scenes starring Fred Savage. It’s Deadpool without the shock NSFW humour, shock gore, and other unnecessary vulgarities. It’s an easier watch that leaves most of the creative jokes, but overall it enhanced the experience for me. Personally, I think this cut is absolutely marginally better than the other films.
6. X-Men
The movie that started it all. It’s probably the X-Men at their most 2000s, with black leather suits so grungy and edgy, dark, and atmospheric. I love it. With great casting and an excellent score, it’s stylistically everything you’d expect and arguably want from a 2000s superhero flick. It’s the film that gave us Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen as Wolverine, Professor X, and Magneto. Come on!
5. The Wolverine
The successor to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, did not follow in its predecessor’s footsteps. Instead, The Wolverine redeems the franchise’s solo films. James Mangold of Walk The Line fame came on to direct this one, and he delivered. Although the third act becomes a tad generic, the rest of the film is an enjoyable romp that tackles some of Logan’s history and explores a new location in this universe… Japan. The effects here are top-form, making for seamless fights that blend the realm of real life and the fantastical.
4. X2: X-Men United
A movie that isn’t as surface-level as the first, X2: X-Men United is everything a great sequel should be. Introducing better arcs and a more interesting plot with higher stakes, the movie became a classic amongst superhero fans. However, sidelining one of the main characters from the first film, Rogue, wasn’t the best decision, and this creates a divide in the congruency of the franchise, which is sadly only worsened in The Last Stand.
3. X-Men: First Class
The first in a new era of X-Men film, X-Men: The First Class excels with its cast, its setting, and its incorporation of fictional concepts within real-world events. Due to the film being a prequel, it is subject to quite a few plot holes, but it is all forgiven by the standout performance given by Michael Fassbender (who to me, is the definitive Magneto). It works well to service fans without coming off as pandering (like some other films on this list).
2. X-Men: Days Of Future Past
The best mainline X-Men film isn’t perfect, but Days Of Future Past certainly nears that status. It blends two eras of X-Men storytelling seamlessly, has incredible stakes, and incorporates the characters amazingly. It gives us Evan Peters as Quicksilver, perhaps one of the best castings in the genre, and it’s our first long-form interaction between Jackman’s Wolverine, McAvoy’s Xavier, and Fassbender’s Magneto. Definitely one of the best comic-book adaptations out there.
1. Logan
The best film in the FoxVerse is obviously Logan, a beautiful and poignant film that both honours the films before and after it. Hugh Jackman delivers a career-best performance here, only rivaled by his one in Prisoners. Logan’s arc in the movie is the stuff of legend, and the ending has gone down as one of the best in history.
That concludes this ranking. Up next for the X-Men is the second season of X-Men ‘97, and a currently untitled X-Men live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thanks for reading!
