Dark Phoenix marks the end of an era for Fox’s X-Men franchise. While there’s still one more movie to come - next year’s spinoff movie New Mutants - this is the last time we get to see Xavier, Magneto, and the many other characters we’ve grown to enjoy since we first saw them in 2000’s X-Men. While the series had its share of highs and lows, what makes it so special is its place in the superhero movie genre. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe set the new standard for superhero movies, we wouldn’t have gotten that if it wasn't for the original X-Men films.
Back in a time when some of the only noteworthy superhero movies were Richard Donner's Superman movies and Tim Burton's Batman movies, the first X-Men film gave new life to the genre, and brought superhero movies to the forefront of mainstream filmmaking. It gave way to the equally popular Spider-Man series directed by Sam Raimi, as well as some adaptations that received some less-than-stellar reception (Daredevil, Catwoman, The Punisher), before finally 2008’s Iron Man was released and completely changed the way superhero films were made.
As we close this chapter on one of the most beloved superhero teams of all-time before they're eventually rebooted as part of the MCU, here's a look back at each of the films, ranked from worst to best.
12) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Wolverine is by far the most popular of all the X-Men, well before the films were even a thing. And when Hugh Jackman brought the character to life for the first time, his already huge popularity skyrocketed. So naturally, a solo film was expected. Unfortunately, this first Wolverine-centric outing is not just the worst of his solo movies, but the worst X-Men movie of them all. The movie focused more on just having Wolverine look like a badass, with a focus on silly, over-the-top action scenes that tossed aside a cohesive story or any solid character development. The film notably botched multiple well-known characters who were introduced here - most infamously, Deadpool - turning them into one note caricatures, while never really exploring any of the complexities surrounding Wolverine's origins, despite the title of the movie.
11) Dark Phoenix
The final film in the main X-Men series ends it on a totally lackluster note. The second attempt after The Last Stand to tell the iconic “Dark Phoenix Saga" storyline from the comics, the film is mostly comprised of dull, repetitive arguments, rather than really digging into Jean Grey's inner struggles between her own persona and the Phoenix persona. While the acting for the most part is pretty solid, it's clear most of the actors had enough at this point, and are all ready to move on, each containing a sense of disinterest. Add to the mix a totally underwhelming villain, unclear character motivations, and an ending that causes the film to take an abrupt change of direction, this is an anticlimactic way to an end the once-beloved franchise.
10) X-Men: Apocalypse
Apocalypse is one of the biggest villains in all X-Men lore, and the casting of Oscar Isaac was certainly the right call. However, despite the title of the film, Apocalypse himself is one of the least interesting aspects of the movie, being more just a generic evil dude bent on destruction, rather than anyone with any real interesting motivations. The movie also goes on for way longer than it needed to, clocking in at a bloated two hours and twenty minutes with storylines that feel dragged out. Despite many obvious issues, it's not totally unwatchable, as it does contain some great action sequences, and solid performances from an always reliable cast that make for a fair share of gripping moments, even if they come at an inconsistent pace.
9) X-Men: The Last Stand
The first attempt at telling the “Dark Phoenix Saga” is also one of the most hated X-Men films of all-time for just how all over the place it is. And it’s hard to overlook that aspect of the movie. It introduces a ton of new characters, more than any other X-Men movie, and plenty of them don't get the proper screen time they deserve. It undoes a lot of what the first two X-Men films built up within its first act, which is easy to see why so many fans were angry with it. Still, despite some very obvious flaws, it still manages to have a sense of fun, and the characters who don't get tossed to the side by the botched storytelling are put to some great use. Unlike Origins, it still manages to have some fun, over-the-top moments while not totally sacrificing character development - for some, at least.
8) The Wolverine
The second solo Wolverine film is a massive step up from Origins, with James Mangold taking the reigns to tell a much more gripping story about the iconic hero. It tends to get a bit silly in its final act, but before that, this does a much better job telling a much more layered story about Logan. The film explores the internal struggles he's facing due to the events of the previous X-Men films and makes this a much more personal film than nearly any of the other films preceding it. Taking place in Japan, the film is also one of the more stylistic of the X-Men films, with some really well-choreographed action scenes. A smaller scale film than most of the series, this tends to be the most overlooked of the bunch.
7) X-Men
The one that started it all. At the time, the first X-Men film is the first time in years that a superhero movie could be taken seriously. And sometimes, it takes itself a bit too seriously for its own good. While the movie is historically important for making superhero movies mainstream, in hindsight it does tend to be a bit too grim for its own good at times, especially given the hero’s many dark clothing as opposed to the bright colors they’re known for in the TV series and comics. And while the film isn’t bloated with an excessive amount of mutants like The Last Stand, some characters do fall by the wayside, most notably villains like Toad and Sabretooth. However, the characters we do get to follow extensively are phenomenal. Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McKellen all knock it out of the park in their first venture as Xavier, Wolverine, and Magneto, respectively, and their performances alone make up for any faults that the mutants’ first time on the big screen may have.
6) Deadpool
The last time Deadpool was on screen before his first solo movie was in Origins, where his character was notoriously altered to stay silent. The backlash from fans to write the character properly was so extensive that Fox had all eyes on them when this film was released. And they nailed it, albeit a bit too hard. While Deadpool’s origin story is well done, and the film contains a copious amount of over-the-top graphic violence that diehard fans of the character will be sure to enjoy, its one fault is the fact that it really tries hitting you over the head with its constant jokes and fourth wall breaks that it comes off like it’s trying too hard at times, with some jokes just falling flat. Still, the film is very funny and an overall good time.
5) X-Men: First Class
At the time of First Class, the X-Men series had two films in a row with underwhelming reception (The Last Stand and Origins), and fans were afraid the series was losing steam. Those fears were put to rest with First Class, which breathed a whole new life into the franchise with some fresh takes on plenty of familiar faces. The film showcases the origin stories for Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, and Beast, all played wonderfully by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult, who would go on to turn in some great performances in the later incarnations of this franchise. Taking place in the 1960’s during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film really captures the feel of an old-school espionage film of the time while still feeling very much like an X-Men movie, to some great results.
4) Deadpool 2
The second Deadpool film is essentially more of the same. More off-the-wall violence, more swear words, more fourth wall breaks, and more jokes. And now that they won over fans with a proper incarnation of the beloved character, the pressure was off the writing team to try so hard with the jokes. And they knock it out of the park, resulting in a sequel that’s surprisingly much funnier than its predecessor. While the story does suffer just a bit - with that being the one thing the first film does better - nearly everything else works much better this time around. The jokes flow more organically, and a lot of the gags and creative violent moments are much more enjoyable this time around, making this a worthy sequel.
3) X2
While X-Men is iconic for its place in superhero movie history, X2 is iconic for just how beloved it was. While a much longer film than the first, this sequel rarely wastes a minute of it, filling each scene with some excellent set pieces, well-shot action sequences, and plenty of great character moments. The film found the right balance of finding character development while still being a solid action movie. And it contains one of the best villains in the franchise, that being William Stryker, played menacingly by Brian Cox. For quite some time, this was not just the most highly regarded X-Men film, but also the gold standard for superhero movies until films like The Dark Knight and Iron Man once again changed the game.
2) X-Men: Days of Future Past
When past and present unite, you get one of the greatest superhero team-ups of all-time. Days of Future Past is the very definition of an epic film, bringing together the entire cast of the original X-Men trilogy along with the cast of First Class to tell a story that spanned decades. The film acted as a swan song for many of the original cast members while paving the way for the First Class team to take the reigns as the new team to focus on (which unfortunately lasted for only two more movies). And the film still had time to introduce a few new characters, who still get in some solid moments of their own, despite some limited screen time. Containing some of the finest visuals in an X-Men film, along with some excellent performances from the likes of Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and James McAvoy, this union of two different eras is the finest of the main series.
1) Logan
While Days of Future Past is the best main X-Men film, Logan is not only just the best solo Wolverine movie, but the best of any movie in the franchise. Everything in this film was cranked up to eleven. The action was bloody and intense, the visuals were bleak but still stunning to look at, while the performances from both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart see them at their absolute best. The film tells the most personal story for Wolverine that deals with plenty of personal drama that keeps the audience easily engaged, while still managing to be a dark, gritty action movie with some excellent results. While Days of Future Past was the perfect goodbye for many of the other original X-Men, Logan is the perfect goodbye for both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, and despite what the future of X-Men may bring now that they’ll be part of the MCU, it’s hard to imagine Marvel ever being able to top Logan.
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