X-men movies: worst to best

10. X-men Origins: Wolverine 

Dead last.  Just a terrible, terrible mess of a movie.  It can't seem to make up its mind what it is; it's supposed to be a solo outing for Wolverine, but feels the need to surround him with a substitute team of X-men. On top of that, it has an overstuffed storyline with plot holes you can drive a truck through.

9. X-men: The Last Stand 

I actually didn't think this one was all that bad when it first came out.  However, the last time I watched it, I just found it boring more than anything. Not bad. Not good. It's just mediocre.

8. The Wolverine 

This movie isn't half bad; it's 25% bad, 50% decent, and 25% pretty good.  It has a solid first act, a pretty good second act, but falls apart and becomes bloated in its finale.  James Mangold manages to create at least a couple of pretty creative action sequences but it doesn't save the film from a lack of meaningful plot and character development.

7. X-Men: Apocalypse

I don't understand the hate for this movie.  Sure, there were some missed opportunities to give Storm a stronger presence and to have Jubilee do.... well... anything (at least she has lines this time)! But, overall, I found it to be pretty enjoyable.  The best part of the movie might have been a 'bigger and better' reprise of the Quicksilver slow-mo scene from Days of Future Past but, while it loses some of its impact for being a retread, it's still a pretty fun scene.

6. X-men

To some, putting the original this far down on the list is blasphemous but, quite frankly, it hasn't aged that well. It was great at the time seeing the characters brought to life on the big screen, however, the story's main plot device, Magneto's 'Mutant Making Machine', always felt a little too silly and 'Dr. Evil' for me.

5. X2: X-men United

Again, another outrageous choice, X2 is clearly the best of 'the original trilogy' but, for me, it is narrowly edged out by...

4. X-men: First Class

First Class is probably the most tightly plotted of the X-men movies.  By the time of it's production, X-men movies were no longer the sure fire hits they once were.  As a result, the budget was significantly smaller than the previous entries.  This resulted in a much more streamlined story and a focus on character development.  McAvoy and Fassbender nail their performances as young Charles Xavier and Magneto.


3. Deadpool 

Any criticism of Deadpool can easily be brushed aside because.... well....  IT"S DEADPOOL! A friend complained that the presence of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead was unnecessary--- my response was, "Dude, have you ever read a Deadpool comic? It's filled with pointless cameos and guest appearances." The presence of unnecessary characters actually just makes the movie that much more Deadpool! Deadpool manages to both satirize the franchise it sprung from and work as a standalone film. Ryan Reynolds was always perfectly cast as the 'Merc With a Mouth' and this almost redeems X-men Origins: Wolverine (almost).  Of all the X-movies, this one is the truest to its source material.

2. Logan

Logan is so good it not only transcends the franchise but the very genre of superhero movies.  Jackman and Stewart give Oscar caliber performances and Mangold draws more from westerns and Mad Max than the previous X-movies for inspiration.  It is probably the best movie on this list and, yet, it can't be the best "X-men" movie because....

1. X-men: Days of Future Past 

This is it; this is the X-men movie that I had wanted to see since I was 13 years old.  It's all there:  post-apocalyptic futures, time travel, mutants as metaphor for the oppressed, the dueling morals of Xavier and Magneto.... Sentinels! All of this and that Quicksilver scene!  The actions sequences are top notch throughout.  The future battles with the Sentinels are particularly noteworthy because, for the first time, we see a group of X-men working together and using their powers in tandem to fight against a foe.  This is something that, thus far, even the Avengers movies haven't quite managed to pull off.  Logan is the better film; THIS is the better X-Men movie.