The X-Men franchise is an oddity within the history of superhero films. Bryan Singer’s original film from 2000 is largely credited with kickstarting the superhero genre. However, the franchise would eventually become so wrapped up in its overly and needlessly complicated mythology that it was hard to navigate for new fans.
With different spinoffs, prequels, and sets of actors, the X-Men films are often confusing. Still, the franchise’s unique take on its own chronology meant that the films were often more ambitious than their rivals in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DCEU. Aided by a collection of truly impressive actors, the X-Men movies often offer high-quality entertainment, even if their stories aren’t always the best. Some of the best X-Men movies are quite rewatchable, whether because of their ambitious plots, unforgettable action scenes, humor, heart, or a collection of all these valuable elements.
13 ‘The New Mutants’ (2020)
Director: Josh Boone
The New Mutants follows a group of young mutants inside a secret institution, where strange things begin happening after the arrival of a new girl. It sat on the shelf for years before it was finally released. There’s a reason why: after several rounds of reshoots and a release date that kept getting pushed back, The New Mutants proved itself to be nothing more than a generic young adult horror film.
The connection to the larger X-Men universe is almost unnoticeable. Had the word “mutant” been removed, there’s nothing about the film that suggests it belongs to the franchise at all. With the lone exception of Anya Taylor-Joy’s Magik, The New Mutants’ characters were completely bland and forgettable.
12 ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ (2009)
Director: Gavin Hood
X-Men Origins: Wolverinewas the first time that the X-Men franchise attempted to go back in time, and the results were less than satisfying. As the title implies, the film shows Logan’s backstory and features several familiar faces from the X-Men canon.
Although the prospect of seeing Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine fighting in every major battle in history seemed exciting, the film was so convoluted and poorly paced that it never unleashed the potential of the character’s history. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is particularly jarring to watch for how badly it depicted Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. Whose idea was it to take the “merc with a mouth” and sow his lips shut the entire time?
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
11 ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ (2006)
Director: Brett Ratner
X-Men: The Last Stand saw the first trilogy end with a fizzle rather than a bang. The film centers on the remaining X-Men fighting Magneto’s army, plus a Phoenix-like Jean Grey, while a so-called cure promises to shift the balance between mutants and humans.
The Last Stand was a very unsatisfying conclusion to the first trilogy. The deaths of both Cyclops (James Marsden) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) were particularly disappointing; there’s no issue with killing characters for a good purpose, but their deaths felt like they were inserted just to sucker punch the audience. The notion of a “mutant cure” was never developed compellingly, and director Brett Ratner inserted a level of crass humor that simply didn’t gel with the more serious tone that the first two films had established.
10 ‘Dark Phoenix’ (2019)
Dark Phoenixwas a very odd conclusion to the X-Men prequel saga that had begun in 2011. It made no sense for James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender to still be playing Professor X and Magneto, respectively, in a film set in the 1990s; were audiences supposed to believe that they had aged thirty years?
Most egregiously, however, was that Dark Phoenix served as another disappointment for fans of the famous comic book storyline of the same name, which had previously been butchered in X-Men: The Last Stand. However, Sophie Turner does deserve credit for giving a more emotional performance as the tragic Jean Grey, even if she’s completely let down by an uninspired screenplay and below-average VFX.
Dark Phoenix
9 ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ (2016)
Director: Bryan Singer
X-Men: Apocalypseis the film that effectively killed the X-Men franchise during the Fox era. Oscar Isaac chews the scenery with his performance as the titular mutant Apocalypse, who is intent on reigning destruction upon humanity. As always, the X-Men must step up to stop him.
While it’s not a good movie, X-Men: Apocalypse is just so weird that it’s hard not to admire it. The previous X-Men films attempted to ground the mutants within a world that resembled reality, but X-Men: Apocalypse turned the series into a “disaster movie” similar to 2012 or The Day After Tomorrow. While the lower-ranked films are simply unwatchable, X-Men: Apocalypse can be viewed as a guilty pleasure. It has some worthy scenes, and Isaac’s antics are enough to make this a worthy time at the movies.
8 ‘Deadpool 2’ (2018)
Director: David Leitch
Deadpool 2is funnier than its predecessor, but it’s comical almost to a fault. The film spends so much time peppering the viewers with jokes that it doesn’t feel like the film is taking anything seriously. This becomes particularly problematic when Deadpool 2 attempts to create a genuinely emotional relationship between Wade Wilson and the young mutant Russell (Julian Denison); any genuinely sincere moment is always undercut by a joke.
However, the addition of the characters Domino (Zazie Beetz) and Cable (Josh Brolin) did make the film’s action feel a little more creative. Overall, Deadpool 2 is entertaining enough to rewatch but not refreshing enough to feel as memorable as its predecessor.
Deadpool 2
7 ‘The Wolverine’ (2013)
Director: James Mangold
The Wolverinehelped lay the groundwork for James Mangold’s more ambitious ideas regarding Wolverine. Instead of trying to tie Wolverine’s story into the larger X-Men universe and set up potential spinoffs, Mangold told a personal story about how Logan’s experiences in World War II led him to return to Japan later in life.
Mangold drew inspiration from the Japanese action films of Akira Kurosawa to create a one-of-a-kind superhero movie, making The Wolverine one of the most visually distinct installments in the X-Men franchise. The R-rated extended cut features even more of the great shogun-style action, meaning fans can discover new things with every rewatch.
6 ‘X-Men’ (2000)
Director: Bryan Singer
X-Menchanged the course of superhero movies forever. While films like Batman & Robin and Howard the Duck had been comical to a fault, X-Men showed that Marvel Comics could be taken seriously and connect to real-world themes. It’s evident that the discrimination that the “mutants” face is meant to resemble any disenfranchised minority that has faced systematic hatred.
Not all of the visual effects have aged well, and the action feels relatively low-scale. However, X-Men succeeds at showing the moral differences between Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen), which would become the most important element of the series.
5 ‘Deadpool’ (2016)
Director: Tim Miller
Deadpoolfelt like a breath of fresh air compared to the other superhero movies that were popular at the time.
Although it’s certainly the funniest of the X-Men films, Deadpool deserves credit for taking the relationship between Wade and his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) seriously. The plot is a straightforward revenge story elevated by Reynolds’ electrifying performance.
While both the MCU and DCEU had become obsessed with expanding their universes and teasing future installments, Deadpool was gleefully removed from the series’ canon and used the fourth wall to satirize the oversaturated genre. Tim Miller utilized a nonlinear structure similar to Batman Begins in order to tell Wade’s backstory. Thus, Deadpool is a hilarious and dynamic self-contained story that is as rewatchable as it’s subversive, the rare superhero movie that truly pushes the envelope.
Deadpool
4 ‘X2’ (2003)
Director: Bryan Singer
X2holds up very well two decades after its initial release. The film continued the social allegories that had been introduced in the first film for another study of discrimination. There’s a genuine moral issue at the heart of the story. When Brian Cox’s William Stryker threatens to exterminate the mutants, the more violent tactics of Magneto feel a lot more compelling.
Surprisingly, X2 also has a considerable amount of brutality for a PG-13 movie. The raid on Xavier’s mansion (in which Wolverine unleashes his full potential) and Nightcrawler’s (Alan Cumming) attack on the White House are particularly exciting moments. X2 feels like the type of superhero movie that’s no longer made, which only makes it more rewatchable. It’s hectic, fast-paced, and genuinely thought-provoking, a rare blend of elements that work together to create something unique.
3 ‘X-Men: First Class’ (2011)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
X-Men: First Classgrounded the mutants’ backstories in real history. The 1960s became the perfect setting to see how McAvoy’s Xavier and Fassbender’s Magneto developed as friends and then turned into bitter enemies. Matthew Vaughn creatively tied in elements of the Cold War and a style reminiscent of early James Bond films; X-Men: First Class embraced an espionage element that the franchise had never had before.
The film’s only fault is that the romantic storyline between a young Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult) feels less compelling than the rivalry between Xavier and Magneto. Still, the plot remains fresh, light when necessary and completely sober as things escalate. First Class is among the saga’s best movies, an entertaining and endlessly rewatchable adventure that offers something new every time.
2 ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ (2014)
Director: Bryan Singer
X-Men: Days of Future Pastbrought the franchise into the 1970s while also paying tribute to its past. The film explored the same pacifistic themes as its predecessors. Mystique is caught between Xavier’s peaceful approach and the violent nature of Magneto, and her decision becomes pivotal to all mutants’ survival.
Although combining both sets of actors could have easily been confusing, X-Men: Days of Future Past found a creative way to show how mistakes in the past ripple into the future. A scene in which an older Xavier pleads with his younger self to “hope again” is easily the most emotional moment in the entire saga. X-Men: Days of Future Past’s mix of past and future makes it compelling, dark, and so complex that fans will surely revisit it several times.
1 ‘Logan’ (2017)
Director: James Mangold
Logandrew inspiration from classic westerns like Shane and Unforgiven to create one of the most unique superhero movies ever made. With its Mad Max-style vision of a Western post-apocalypse, Logan acknowledges the other X-Men films while hinting that it took place in a unique timeline.
The issue that so many superhero movies have been faced with is the lack of consequences, but Logan shows the end to the journey that both Logan and Xavier had started back in 2000. Mangold’s clever and emotional take on characters earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The X-Men have had several adventures on the big screen, but some are undoubtedly more rewatchable than others. Read More