Every X-Men Film Ranked
With the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness just days away, the internet is rife with rumours of which characters will cameo. The rumours range from obvious to obscure, and it’s clear fan expectations for this film are incredibly high. I’ve already written about this trend recently (click here to read in full) so I won’t linger on the topic. I instead want to focus on one particular aspect of the rumours: the X-Men.
Among all of the nostalgic characters rumoured to appear in this film, the X-Men characters feature prominently in fan discussion. This is not only because Disney have acquired Fox, so the rights to the X-Men are now with Marvel Studios, but also because people loved the X-Men films. As big as the MCU is, sometimes we forget X-Men did it first. In the early 2000s when some of pop culture’s most bankable characters were in cinematic limbo, both Blade and the X-Men were starting successful franchises. The X-Men universe stretched for 20 years across numerous projects, which isn’t the same scale as the MCU, but it’s still damn impressive. It’s fairly obvious why fans are keen to see these characters return to the big screen, especially when the multiverse opening is the perfect time for literally anything and everything to happen.
With this in mind, and the latest Doctor Strange trailers seemingly featuring Patrick Stewart as Professor X, I’ve decided to embark on a nostalgic road trip, by ranking all of the X-Men cinematic releases. I’ll be going through the films in release order, and using the same system I’ve previously used to rank every project in the MCU to date - top tier, high tier, mid tier and low tier.
*Important Disclaimer* - There is something I feel needs to be mentioned, and it would be wrong of me not to mention this. As much as I have great memories of these films, there is something of a sour taste to the franchise. Some of the main films (X-Men, X-Men 2, Days of Future Past and Apocalypse) were directed by Bryan Singer, who in recent years has faced accusations for very unpleasant behaviour. I won’t go into detail about said accusations, these can easily be found via a quick Google search, but it does become difficult to separate these films from Singer, knowing what we now know. He set the franchise in motion and then acted as producer even when stepping down as director, so his mark has been left across the franchise in a big way. While I have fond memories of these films, I can’t sit back and praise them without acknowledging information which has emerged. I personally have a tough time separating art from the artist, so I wish to convey no admiration or appreciation of Bryan Singer. If I have anything positive to say about the films he’s directed, please do not take that as me excusing or condoning the actions he has been accused of. No film is worth negating or ignoring the accusations which have been made.
If we’re all ready, then we’ll begin this list with one of my favourite sound effects in comic books. It’s the sound used when X-Men fan favourite Nightcrawler teleports.
BAMF!
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X-Men (2000)
I think this film just about holds up. It’s got a fairly simple story, which by today’s standards is a little silly and flimsy, but the film still manages to introduce a wide audience to a large ensemble of characters. Factor in this being our first exposure to great performances from Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, and this film is still worth our time. I’m aware nostalgia is 100% fuelling my attempts to be nice, based on the sheer number of hours younger Adam spent watching this film on VHS. If you were to watch this for the first time today, knowing what comic book films can achieve, then you’d understandably be disappointed.
The one sin I can’t forgive is changing the X-Men costumes. The film was clearly trying to be “cool” so they shied away from comic accurate costumes. Instead they favoured black leather from head to toe, which looked bad at the time, and looks even worse 20 years later. Just put the damn X across their chest, why bother trying to hide who they are? [Mid tier]
X-Men 2 (2003)
Despite the fact this was made early into the franchise, this is still one of the highest points. A fantastic film, taking inspiration from the seminal ‘God Loves, Man Kills’ comic book by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson. This opened the world of X-Men further, gave us new characters like Nightcrawler, and showed more of the dynamic between characters. In particular, this film gives a really good iteration of Magneto, showing how his allegiances change depending on his goals.
I also have to give this film high praise for the sequence in the mansion. When Wolverine charges through, cutting down William Stryker’s men, it was a masterclass in how to translate Wolverine on screen. Hugh Jackman was on top form, the action was well choreographed, and it displayed an authentic interpretation of the character. [Top tier]
X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006)
This is where it all starts to go silly. Displaying poor writing in terms of the story and dialogue, actors who are trying their best with a script which gives them nothing, and an overhanging sense this was made by a teenager for a teenage audience. Everything about it just feels juvenile. Which is a shame, because it means any genuinely interesting discussion about whether there can be a “cure” for mutants is overshadowed by constant bone-headed nonsense. I can forgive a lot of sins if the film is at least fun to watch, but sadly in this case, no dice.
I wish I could say this is the only bad live action adaption of ‘The Dark Phoenix Saga.’ However, there’s another film which makes The Last Stand seem coherent and entertaining in comparison. [Low tier]
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
There’s not much to say about this film that hasn’t already been said. It’s a total bin fire. Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber were ready to give good performances, but the script is a disaster. This film is a nightmare on every conceivable level. Not even an exorcist could bring it back from the shadows. The fact this didn’t prematurely bring about the collapse of the X-Men franchise is a modern day miracle. [Low tier, and that’s being generous]
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Creating a series of prequel projects was an interesting move, but in this case it really paid off. Matthew Vaughan is a great director, and he not only captures the time period well, but also understands the X-Men. This film understands the dynamic between characters, and gives a fresh insight. It’s not the most polished in terms of action set pieces or storytelling, but the cast of younger actors absolutely bring their A game. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender alone are enough to elevate the film. I can look past any issues, because I’ve had a great time re-watching this film over the years. It’s fun, it’s charming, and feels like a proper insight into the early days of the X-Men.
Also, as much as I love Logan, First Class was the first film to give us an f-bomb from Wolverine. For that, it has my thanks. [High tier]
The Wolverine (2013)
I think this film gets a hard time, but there’s still something vaguely interesting about it. I think the worst thing you could say is it’s middle of the road, which is less harsh than it is true. It isn’t aggressively bad, but also isn’t anything to rave about. James Mangold stepped in as director after Darren Aronofsky stood down, so it was a case of making the best of what they had. If we had to go through this film so James Mangold could go on to make Logan, then I am more than happy to take the hit. Plus, I at least admire the fact they tried to do something different with this film. Even if all this amounts to is taking Wolverine on holiday to Japan. [Mid tier]
X-Men Days of Future Past (2014)
Comic book fans were sceptical to see such a seminal X-Men comic book brought to the big screen, but thankfully this was pretty darn good. It’s an entertaining film which moves at a brisk pace, and boasts some pretty snazzy visuals. Utilising both the old and new generation cast members was a fantastic move, and thankfully the time travel doesn’t come across as too daft. The sequence featuring James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart is a particular highlight.
One point which still stands out in a weird way is the ending. They seemingly reset the timeline and leave us in a good position to go ahead with the original cast for future projects, and then they…don’t. They continue with the new generation of cast members instead, which begs the question as to what the ending of this film actually achieves.
Also, and this is a sin I’d give to any film, they completely waste their one f-bomb. This film has a 12 certificate in the UK, which means they can get away with one f-bomb, depending on how explicit the rest of the film is. They use this so Professor Xavier can quote Wolverine back to himself, the only problem is they got the damn line wrong! In X-Men: First Class Wolverine tells Xavier and Magneto “go fuck yourselves.” So why does Xavier sound cocky when he grumpily says to Wolverine “We came to you a long time ago seeking your help. And I’m going to say to you what you said to us then: fuck off.” This ruins a moment which otherwise could have been glorious. It was the cinematic equivalent of punching a birthday cake. They’re lucky the rest of the film holds up well. [High tier]
Deadpool (2016)
I love this film. I think it’s absolutely terrific. It’s simple, it’s stylish, and it’s entertaining as hell. Ryan Reynolds was born to play this character, and the passion from both himself and director Tim Miller is evident throughout. This was a different tone for the X-Men universe, journeying not only into comedic territory, but also into R-rated territory. This film boasts a serious potty mouth, and a passion for bold, bloody action sequences, both of which help make this feel even more like an authentic Deadpool project. It was a big swing, and ultimately a major home run. This still stands up as one of the best comic book movies of our time, offering a different flavour in an arguably saturated market. [Top tier]
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
This film has massive issues, and little to offer. This is like The Mummy (2001) and an X-Men film had a baby, and the quality reflects that premise. It is big and bold, but ultimately hollow and boring. The new cast are all fine actors, but this film absolutely wastes them. Worst of all they waste the incredibly talented Oscar Isaac, because they somehow made the character of Apocalypse incredibly generic and bland. So the film has a promising set-up, but a truly shocking execution. It’s a film which tries to make a lot of noise but has nothing interesting to say. Also, there’s yet another waste of an f-bomb. They had one shot, and they let it fizzle out like a cheap firework so it leaves no trace.
I can pinpoint the exact moment I lost patience with this film. A group of the young mutants head to the cinema to see Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, and debate the trilogy upon leaving the screening. At this point one of them makes a less than subtle joke about how the third instalment is always the worst. As the third instalment of the reboot/sequel films, the only thing missing from this sequence is a smug wink to the camera. Just because they reference how bad this film is, it doesn’t mean their crimes are excused. [Low tier]
Logan (2017)
I still have days where I am grateful this film exists. A 15 rated, gritty, neo-western film about an older Wolverine grappling with his own mortality. It is an absolute masterpiece, and it makes me cry every time.
I know most people would want to talk about the bloody violence and mature content, which was a glorious gift on every level, however there is so much more to talk about. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart delivered phenomenal performances, which are by far the best in the franchise. Match this with a terrific breakthrough performance from Dafne Keen, and this film has your value for the ticket price in just three performances alone. The film has a stripped back and raw feel to it. This is a film where the audience can feel the weight of the claws, and the weight of legacy looming in the background.
Forget the blood and the swearing, those are simply there to sweeten the deal. The main hook of this film is the emotional depth, the feeling of finality and legacy, and the themes of fatherhood and redemption. It is incredibly profound, and stands as not only the best film in the franchise, but one of the best comic book films ever made. [Top tier - my personal favourite]
Deadpool 2 (2018)
This is a classic case of a sequel being twice the size, but half as good. It has a lot of ambition, but also has a tendency to take what worked in the first film and dial it up to eleven. It’s a bold strategy, but it unfortunately doesn’t work. The first film worked so well because it was simple and sleek, whereas the sequel gets quite lost and thinks reusing the same teenage humour will save it. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of repeated jokes and low hanging fruit. Jabs at DC, jabs at Ryan Reynolds, jabs at Wolverine etc. The film sometimes doesn’t know when a joke has died, so it clings onto it in the hopes of a cheap laugh. It may have been enough to fool some people, but for me it didn’t stick the landing. There’s still some fun to be had, and I enjoy seeing Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino, it just doesn’t hang together quite as well as the original. Although it’s always worth mentioning, we’re all winners so long as Ryan Reynolds is playing Deadpool. [Mid tier]
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
Considering this is a second attempt to adapt the ‘Dark Phoenix’ story line, and from the same screenwriter no less, this should not have been so terrible. Fewer mistakes should have been made, and this should have been a time for redemption. Unfortunately, everything falls apart.
By this point it was honestly like playing a game of bland comic book movie bingo. Let’s see, there’s:
- A flimsy villain
- A solid cast who are trying their best to give good performances, but are unfortunately not given the chance to shine
- A script which lacks anything substantial or interesting
- Poorly directed and dull action sequences
- Forced conflict between characters who are usually friends
- Unnecessary death used to force an emotional response - without success I might add
- Uncertainty about continuity. For example, the age gap between Fassbender and McKellen, which apparently syncs up within nine years - I’m calling bullshit
- Another squandered f-bomb, which is given to the wrong character and at completely the wrong point of the story. Honestly the f-bomb in this film made me laugh harder than any comedy I’ve seen in recent years.
I think that’s bingo, right?
On the plus side, at least they got the costumes right this time. The simple design with the yellow X across the chest, inspired by Frank Quitely’s design from Grant Morrison’s ‘New X-Men’ era. Hooray, they got the costumes right. It’s like tucking in to a half good slice of cheesecake, while aboard the slowly sinking Titanic. [Low tier]
New Mutants (2020)
Despite significant delays and a lot of reworking, this film brings the X-Men franchise to a dismal and uninspired conclusion. This is a tonal and thematic catastrophe. At any given point, this film doesn’t seem to know what story it’s telling or what to do with the characters. It simultaneously wants to be a cheesy teen drama and a Stephen King horror story, but it can’t handle either of those things. So instead it sticks multiple genres and tones into a blender, and serves a sloppy, confused smoothie.
What’s even worse is this film gave me hope for a brief moment. After it looked like Dark Phoenix was the end to a franchise I care so much about, there was a second chance when it turned out New Mutants would be released after. It wouldn’t be setting up a new lease of life for the franchise, but it could be the encore we so desperately needed to send the audience home in a good way. I mean, the ending of the franchise couldn’t get much worse, right? Wrong. [Low tier]
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BAMF!
What a journey. 20 years’ worth of films, and a lot of material which is sadly mid to low tier. It’s not surprising to know that nostalgia was a powerful force at work. I can imagine if you were to watch these films for the first time today, and knowing the highs the MCU has reached in recent years, you’d struggle to see what all of the fuss is about. It’s safe to say we were living in simpler times, so fans can be forgiven for taking the high points and seldom mentioning the crushing low points.
As with any list I’ve compiled in the past, the one thing to remember is not to take this too seriously. Our experience of these films are our own, so nothing anyone says can take that away from us. Personally, I had a good time with these films when I was younger, and they were early exposure to characters I would grow to love beyond the films. I truly believe every one of the films on this list are worth watching at least once. They fulfil a completionist desire to watch every entry in the franchise, and they are all entertaining in some way or another. Some are genuinely good, while others are fun in a trashy way.
So where does this leave us? With a series of cherished performances, which fans could potentially see reprised in a cameo capacity. And this could very well happen. In a similar way to Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the new Doctor Strange film exists to please the fans, and the right cameo is an easy win. For the people who grew up watching Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, seeing them on screen again was a gift. Likewise, for fans of X-Men, the prospect of seeing Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman or anyone else return gives a more complex feel of continuity, and makes the multiverse feel more alive. These aren’t just cameos, these are characters we know and have invested time in. While my head is telling me a cameo from the X-Men alumni would be cheap fan service, I can’t deny it would still make me happy.
Regardless of whether we see any familiar X-Men faces in the Multiverse of Madness, there is an unquestionable legacy. The X-Men franchise was a powerhouse which wasn’t easily taken down, despite numerous attempts at self-destruction by their own directors. If the MCU doesn’t play with these particular toys, then at least we can still look back with a mixture of happiness, confusion, and mild embarrassment. We’ve got 20 years’ of films, varying degrees of quality, and a whole lot to talk about. Tuck in.
‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ releases in UK cinemas on May 5th.
If you liked this article, be sure to check out some of my previous articles ranking Marvel films:
