Top Ten Tuesday I s a weekly feature that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official task for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday was for participants to highlight books that featured travel elements. While this was interesting, I’m going to do something a little different, especially as I’m in a real comic book movie mood. In particular, I want to talk about the X-Men movie franchise now that the 20th Century Fox era has come to an end.
I am sure that it will come to no surprise to anyone that I am a major fan of all things comic related, which includes the fabulous works coming out of Marvel. Naturally, this includes the iconic and classic X-Men movies that were produced by 20th Century Fox. The recently released Deadpool & Wolverine saw the end of the 20th Century Fox X-Men films, with the comic franchise now officially incorporated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I think that enough time has passed since the movie’s release that I can finally start talking about it on this blog without spoiling anything for people out there.
The X-Men films represent a key part of comic book movie history, as they have been a substantial corner of the genre since the year 2000. Following the iconic Marvel Comics superhero team of mutants, the X-Men films feature a range of cool storylines, characters and epic actors, as well as some exceptional graphics and productions. The first X-Men films were some of the top movies in the genre at the time, helping the fan the early popularity of comic book films. While the franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, it has still maintained its relevancy, and produced some true classics. It has also continued to be a gamechanger right up until its most recent entry, especially as it helped to popularise R-rated comic book films. I honestly have so much love for the X-Men film franchise, and I have had to the very great pleasure of viewing all of them multiple times.
Between my love for the X-Men films and the recent release of Deadpool & Wolverine, I thought this would be a good opportunity to quickly provide my personal ranking for the films in this franchise. I have included all 13 of the live-action X-Men films released by 20th Century Fox, as well as the MCU released Deadpool & Wolverine. Ranking these various films proved to be an interesting task, and I had a fun time trying to weigh the pros and cons of each entry. I made sure to consider factors such as casting, story, graphics, legacy and how they handled the original source material. However, the most important thing that I considered was how much I would want to watch this film again. While I struggled a little in places, especially at the beginning of the list, I was able to come up with a ranking that I think captures my personal feelings and opinions about these various films.
Spoiler Warning below
List (Ranked – Reverse Order):
14. Dark Phoenix
Starting at the bottom, we have the last movie to focus on the actual X-Men team, Dark Phoenix which featured the prequel characters first introduced in X-Men: First Class. The second attempt to adapt The Dark Phoenix Saga comic into a film, Dark Phoenix was dull, by the numbers, and very predictable in its story telling. While it still features an excellent cast, you can tell that most of the veteran actors were getting tired at this point, as evident by Jennifer Lawrence’s limited screentime. In addition, Sophie Turner, while doing her best, fails to truly connect to the Jean Grey role, while Jessica Chastain is a particularly unmemorable villain. Despite that, there are still some great scenes in this movie, including two fantastic action set-pieces, but overall, it was a disappointing film, especially when compared to other X-Men content being released around the same time.
13. X-Men: Apocalypse
I must admit that in the lead up to X-Men: Apocalypse, I was naively excited for this film. The franchise was riding high after an epic revival, and they were looking to bring the major villain Apocalypse to the screen. This movie had all the potential in the world, and yet it ended up being a major disappointment. Oscar Isaac, while fun, didn’t do the character of Apocalypse justice, and the overall design of the villain was weird. In addition, many of the new actors to the franchise were a little underwhelming, although props to Kodi Smit-McPhee and Alexandra Shipp for their great portrayals of the young Nightcrawler and Storm. Moreover, the story was very weak in places, and was honestly a letdown after the previous well-written prequel films. Despite this, X-Men: Apocalypse is still a fun movie with some impressive elements. The main cast continues to excel, the graphics were awesome, there was a particularly fun Quicksilver sequence, as well as a bloody Wolverine cameo. While it didn’t live up to its full potential, I would still rewatch X-Men: Apocalypse, and it is possible to really enjoy it.
12. The New Mutants
The final X-Men film released by 20th Century Fox, The New Mutants was an interesting spin-off that focused on five new, young and damaged mutant characters, trapped in a facility designed to control their rampaging powers. Events take a dark turn as various supernatural creatures start to haunt the students, as the secrets of their mentor/jailer come to light. The New Mutants was a rather unique addition to the franchise, that simultaneously introduced new characters, while trying to set up a horror story in the X-Men universe. While the film suffered from production delays, creative issues and studio interference, I still think it was a good film, and I applaud the creators for trying to do something different. The small cast enthusiastically dive into their roles, and while the producers were clearly trying to cash in on the success of other franchises with some of their casting choices, the young actors were more than up for the task. Highlights include Anya Taylor-Joy as a deliciously devilish Magik, Henry Zaga as a fairly accurate Sunspot, Maise Williams who brings her charm to the conflicted character of Wolfsbane, while Blu Hunt effectively holds down the main role of Dani Moonstar. There is even a cameo from everyone’s favourite dragon, Lockheed, which hardcore X-Men fans will really appreciate. The end result, despite suffering a little from being played more as a teenage supernatural story than a pure dark horror narrative, was pretty watchable, and it’s unfortunate that some of the cast will never get a chance to revisit these characters.
11. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The best way to describe X-Men Origins: Wolverine is as a fun and action-packed movie that has one of the weakest plots in the franchise. Focussing on the origins of Wolverine, this film saw Hugh Jackman strike out on his own with a new supporting cast. Best known for its epic title-card montage and the terribly mishandled introduction of Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool, this Wolverine focused film had some cool moments, but struggled to rise above its basic narrative. Still, the cast was pretty on-point, including Liev Schreiber impressive performance as Sabretooth, and while Ryan Reynold’s appearance was far too brief, he did manage to show off how naturally he’d fit the role of the Merc with a Mouth, which led to great things down the line.
10. X-Men: The Last Stand
The other film that tried to adapt The Dark Phoenix Saga was the third X-Men film, The Last Stand. Coming off the first two excellent entries in the series, expectations were high for The Last Stand, however, the third film in the trilogy proved to be the worse (something Bryan Singer would later regret making fun of in X-Men: Apocalypse). Just like with its future successor, The Last Stand completely failed to adapt the complex The Dark Phoenix Saga in a compelling way, alienating both comic fans and general audiences with its weak story and cliched moments. While The Last Stand still featured the incredible main cast from the first two movies, two key actors only had limited screen time, while parts of Famke Janssen’s performance as the newly formed Phoenix were questionable. In addition, several new supporting cast members failed to impress, with the obvious exceptions of Kelsey Grammer as Beast, and Elliot Page as Kitty Pryde. While flawed, this was still a fun movie with some awesome scenes, and you have to love the excellent acting talent who came back for it. However, I really hope no one tries to do another live action adaptation of The Dark Phoenix Saga.
9. The Wolverine
Another solo Wolverine outing, The Wolverine was an impressive Hugh Jackman film that covered some of the comic character’s adventures in Japan. A substantially stronger movie then X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine has a slick and complex story that covers the protagonist’s grief and trauma after the events of The Last Stand. While not a perfect film, especially with some ridiculous story elements at the end (why did it need a giant robot?), this was an excellent and moving entry in the X-Men franchise, although it probably would have been better with a hard-R rating. Still, I’m a big fan of the film’s excellent Japanese cast, and Hugh Jackman was once again amazing as Wolverine. While it wasn’t a perfect adaptation of the comics it was based around, it is an outstanding and distinctive film.
8. X-Men: First Class
After the end of the original trilogy and the failure of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans were uncertain where the franchise could go. Luckily Matthew Vaughn stepped up and gave the series new life by creating a prequel X-Men film set during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Partially based around the First Class comics, X-Men: First Class looked at the origins of the X-Men in this universe, and brought in a whole new group of actors to portray several classic roles. While the plot of the film was a little predictable, the result was spectacular, especially when it came to the cast. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were perfectly cast as younger versions of Professor X and Magneto, and both actors really gave their all to the roles, diving into the issues and quirks of the characters, while also exploring the origins of their lifelong friendship. Other great casting choices include Jennfier Lawrence as Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Beast, both of whom would go on to anchor the franchise with McAvoy and Fassbender, while Kevin Bacon was a sinister, if generic, villain. The rest of the cast was ok, although I think the fact that most of them were killed off-screen before the next movie, tells you all you need to know about how forgettable they were. The 1960s aesthetic and historical tie-ins of the plot were also very cool, although it did create some timeline issues going forward. Overall, a pretty amazing film, and one that resulted in some excellent sequel films going forward.
7. X-Men
At the halfway point of this list, we have the original film that kicked off the entire movie franchise with X-Men. While relatively low budget and with less complex graphics than modern audiences might expect for a superhero epic, X-Men nonetheless captured the world’s imagination in some major ways. Featuring an excellent story that cleverly introduced the X-Men universe, with some modern twists, X-Men was a compelling film that set up a lot of future story elements. A strong part of its success was due to its perfect cast, with a relatively unknown Hugh Jackman stealing the show as Wolverine, while Famke Janssen (Jean Grey), James Marsden (Cyclops), Halle Berry (Storm) and Anna Paquin (Rogue) all perfectly portrayed their respective characters. However, the real genius lay with the inclusion of acclaimed veteran actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as Professor X and Magneto. Stewart and McKellen were born to play their respective characters, and the two perfectly acted off each other, bringing some impressive gravitas and passion to the film. These performances, and more, ensured that this film was exceptional, and it was a slam-dunk movie in the very early days of the comic book film.
6. X2
While X-Men set up the franchise, its sequel, X2, was the film that cemented the X-Men films as a cornerstone of superhero movie genre. Bringing back the cast from the first film to great effect, X2 had a larger budget, which Bryan Singer put it to full use to create some exceptional sequences. Starting off with the still memorable Nightcrawler sequence, the film goes from strength to strength, as the X-Men compete with Brian Cox’s sinister Willaim Stryker. While James Marsden’s Cyclops does get somewhat sidelined in this film (a recuring theme of the X-Men film franchise), the rest of the cast get their moment to shine, and I loved how complex and emotionally charged parts of the plot got, especially around Wolverine’s past and Jean Grey’s future. This was honestly one of the films that made me fall in love with the superhero genre, and it was a particularly exceptional entry from the early 2000s.
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
The next film on this list might be the most ambitious and creatively clever X-Men entry, with Days of Future Past. An elaborate film, Days of Future Past sought to combine the original trilogy with the universe introduced in First Class by bringing together the casts of both in a narrative with two separate timelines. Anchored once again around Hugh Jackman, the film sees him interact with both his original cast mates and the main actors from First Class in a gripping and compelling time travel performance. Both sets of actors were exceptional here, with McAvoy and Fassbender perfectly playing younger, angrier versions of Professor X and Magneto, while Stewart and McKellen bring a believable weariness to the older incarnations of the characters. I really have to highlight McAvoy’s performance here as a damaged and pained figure trying to reconcile his past trauma and future legacy, and his scenes with Jackman, Fassbender, Lawerence, and even a future version of himself with Stewart, are some of the best parts of the entire movie. Special mention also goes to newcomer Evan Peters, who is a major highlight of the first half of Days of Future Past as Quicksilver. I personally think that Days of Future Past has some of the best writing in the entire franchise, perfectly playing the two timelines off each other, and producing an emotionally charged and trauma laden narrative. The final big sequence is particularly epic, with scenes from both timelines showcased to some moving music, all leading up to one character making their choice and changing the timelines to come. I have so much for Days of Future Past, and I think it was the best film to feature the full X-Men team.
4. Deadpool
As we come into the final four of this list, I feel the need to point out that the following top entries are all R-rated films. While I don’t necessarily think that a comic book film needs to be R-rated to be awesome, it definitely helped with the following films, and the reason why they were allowed to be this extreme has its roots in Deadpool. Bringing back Ryan Reynolds after his appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Deadpool was a film that never seemed fated to happen, and indeed it took leaked footage from an unknown source (cough, no idea who that could be), for it to eventuate. However, eventuate it did, and boy were we the richer for it. The resulting film, while not as complex as some of the later Deadpool entries, was filled with comedic genius, as Reynold’s madcap Wade Wilson steals the show with his insane humour and fourth-wall breaking jokes. A clever and impressive origin film that reimagines the hero as a tragic, and brutal, protagonist, Deadpool was a laugh riot from the very beginning, and director Tim Miller made full use of the R-rating to produce some gruesome, if hilarious, action sequences. Everything about this film was great, and it should be rightly celebrated for giving us the Marvel Jesus we deserve, both here, and in its two sequels.
3. Deadpool & Wolverine
The latest film in the X-Men film franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine is a particularly fun entry that introduces the X-Men to the MCU. Serving as the very first R-rated film in the MCU, Deadpool & Wolverine reunites Ryan Reynolds with Hugh Jackman in an insane and compelling romp through the multiverse. I cannot emphasise how long fans had been waiting to see a proper Deadpool and Wolverine team-up, and this film did not disappoint, bringing all the over-the-top action, references and humour, you would expect and more. Loaded with extremely awesome and clever cameos and serving as a love-letter to all the 20th Century Fox Marvel films, Deadpool & Wolverine was one of the better recent MCU films, and fans came away extremely satisfied with its outrageous story.
2. Deadpool 2
While Deadpool & Wolverine was really impressive, my favourite Deadpool film is the second entry, Deadpool 2. An outstanding sequel to the first Deadpool, Deadpool 2 expanded on the best story elements from the first film, while also bringing together another insane, but clever, new narrative. Setting Deadpool against Josh Brolin’s Cable, this film had so many great moments as the creative team blended comedy with complex storytelling. I particularly love the way the audience was misdirected in advance with the X-Force team prominently featured in the trailer, only for their appearance to be cut short in dramatic fashion, and viewers honestly did not know where the story was going at times. Zazie Beetz Domino and Julian Dennison’s Rusty, were both exceptional additions to the cast, and you have to love how effectively they were able to show off Domino’s ill-defined luck powers. This might honestly be the funniest comic book film I have ever had the pleasure of watching, and it is so far the pinnacle of Ryan Reynold’s comedic genius.
1. Logan
I doubt anyone will be too surprised that Logan tops my list as my favourite X-Men film. Generally considered one of the best comic book films of all time (I have it in my top three with Infinity War and The Dark Knight), Logan is an exceptional movie that shows just how complex and powerful a comic book adaptation can be. Partially based on the Old Man Logan graphic novel, Logan follows an aging former Wolverine in a dark future where mutant-kind is in decline, and the X-Men are all dead. Taking care of a near incapacitated Charles Xavier, Logan goes on one last mission to save a young girl, Laura, who has a dark connection to him. This was an outstanding film that combines a compelling X-Men story with a grim Western aesthetic. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart give some of the best performances of their careers, while newcomer Dafne Keen proved to be a fantastic X-23/Laura. Director James Mangold produces something truly special with the tight and compelling story, and viewers are treated to emotional gut-punch after emotional gut-punch. I honestly came away from Logan a changed man, and if a comic movie is going to make to you cry, it will be Logan. Easily the undisputed best film of the entire X-Men franchise, and a very worthy number one place on this list.
Well, that is the end of my new X-Men film list. I think it turned out pretty well, and I really had fun pulling it together. It will be interesting to see if this list gets updated again in the future, especially with the fate of the X-Men films tied into the MCU, but I hope this will be something I can revisit again at some point. Make sure to let me know what you think about my ratings above, and don’t worry about hurting my feelings if you have different opinions about the films in question.
The Unseen Library 