TAGGED AS: movies, X-Men
(Photo by 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved./courtesy Everett Collection)
In the world of superhero movies post–Batman & Robin implosion, Spider-Man showed they could still be fun, Batman Begins demonstrated gravitas, and Blade got its cut with R-rated gruesomeness. Meanwhile, the X-Men proved the ensemble superhero movie could work: Just take off the yellow spandex, add some millennium-era leather, and retain the franchise’s outsider allegories. Oh, and capture some lightning-in-a-bottle casting with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. A bit tall to play Wolvy, but he had the chops (and literally, the muttonchops).
The relentless X2: X-Men United brought true action to the series, before hitting the skids with The Last Stand and the writer’s strike-afflicted X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Since then, the X-Men franchise has spread out in myriad ways, with highlights including adapting the time-splitting classic Days of Future Past, the Western-inflected Logan (nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar!), and introducing the meta Merc With A Mouth Deadpool into the mix.
With New Mutants finally out, we’re taking a look at all the X-Men movies ranked by Tomatometer. —Alex Vo
#14
Dark Phoenix (2019) 22%
#14
Adjusted Score: 42532%
Critics Consensus: Dark Phoenix ends an era of the X-Men franchise by taking a second stab at adapting a classic comics arc -- with deeply disappointing results.
Synopsis: The X-Men face their most formidable and powerful foe when one of their own, Jean Grey, starts to spiral out... [More]
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult
Directed By: Simon Kinberg
#13
The New Mutants (2020) 36%
#13
Adjusted Score: 43528%
Critics Consensus: Rendering a list of potentially explosive ingredients mostly inert, The New Mutants is a franchise spinoff that's less than the sum of its super-powered parts.
Synopsis: Five teenage mutants -- Mirage, Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Sunspot and Magik -- undergo treatments at a secret institution that will cure... [More]
Starring: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga
Directed By: Josh Boone
#12
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) 38%
#12
Adjusted Score: 48580%
Critics Consensus: Though Hugh Jackman gives his all, he can't help X-Men Origins: Wolverine overcome a cliche-ridden script and familiar narrative.
Synopsis: Seeking solace from his dark past, Logan (Hugh Jackman), better known as Wolverine, seems to have found love and contentment... [More]
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, will.i.am, Lynn Collins
Directed By: Gavin Hood
#11
#11
Adjusted Score: 63833%
Critics Consensus: Overloaded action and a cliched villain take the focus away from otherwise strong performers and resonant themes, making X-Men: Apocalypse a middling chapter of the venerable superhero franchise.
Synopsis: Worshiped as a god since the dawn of civilization, the immortal Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) becomes the first and most powerful... [More]
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac
Directed By: Bryan Singer
#10
Once Upon a Deadpool (2018) 56%
#10
Adjusted Score: 58578%
Critics Consensus: Once Upon a Deadpool retains enough of the franchise's anarchic spirit to entertain, but doesn't add enough to Deadpool 2 to justify its own existence.
Synopsis: Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool meets Russell, an angry teenage mutant who lives at an orphanage. When Russell becomes the target of... [More]
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison
Directed By: David Leitch
#9
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) 57%
#9
Adjusted Score: 66991%
Critics Consensus: X-Men: The Last Stand provides plenty of mutant action for fans of the franchise, even if it does so at the expense of its predecessors' deeper character moments.
Synopsis: The discovery of a cure for mutations leads to a turning point for Mutants (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen,... [More]
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry
Directed By: Brett Ratner
#8
The Wolverine (2013) 71%
#8
Adjusted Score: 83124%
Critics Consensus: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.
Synopsis: Lured to a Japan he hasn't seen since World War II, century-old mutant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) finds himself in a... [More]
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Famke Janssen, Will Yun Lee
Directed By: James Mangold
#7
Adjusted Score: 89050%
Critics Consensus: Faithful to the comics and filled with action, X-Men brings a crowded slate of classic Marvel characters to the screen with a talented ensemble cast and surprisingly sharp narrative focus.
Synopsis: They are children of the atom, hom*o superior, the next link in the chain of evolution. Each was born with... [More]
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen
Directed By: Bryan Singer
#6
Deadpool 2 (2018) 84%
#6
Adjusted Score: 107461%
Critics Consensus: Though it threatens to buckle under the weight of its meta gags, Deadpool 2 is a gory, gleeful lampoon of the superhero genre buoyed by Ryan Reynolds' undeniable charm.
Synopsis: Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool meets Russell, an angry teenage mutant who lives at an orphanage. When Russell becomes the target of... [More]
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz
Directed By: David Leitch
#5
X2 (2003) 85%
#5
Adjusted Score: 93919%
Critics Consensus: Tightly scripted, solidly acted, and impressively ambitious, X2: X-Men United is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general.
Synopsis: Stryker (Brian Cox), a villianous former Army commander, holds the key to Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) past and the future of... [More]
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry
Directed By: Bryan Singer
#4
Deadpool (2016) 85%
#4
Adjusted Score: 101833%
Critics Consensus: Fast, funny, and gleefully profane, the fourth-wall-busting Deadpool subverts superhero film formula with wildly entertaining -- and decidedly non-family-friendly -- results.
Synopsis: Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a former Special Forces operative who now works as a mercenary. His world comes crashing... [More]
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller
Directed By: Tim Miller
#3
X-Men: First Class (2011) 86%
#3
Adjusted Score: 98189%
Critics Consensus: With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.
Synopsis: In the early 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, a mutant named Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) meets a... [More]
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence
Directed By: Matthew Vaughn
#2
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) 90%
#2
Adjusted Score: 106105%
Critics Consensus: X-Men: Days of Future Past combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments.
Synopsis: Convinced that mutants pose a threat to humanity, Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) develops the Sentinels, enormous robotic weapons that... [More]
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence
Directed By: Bryan Singer
#1
Logan (2017) 93%
#1
Adjusted Score: 117121%
Critics Consensus: Hugh Jackman makes the most of his final outing as Wolverine with a gritty, nuanced performance in a violent but surprisingly thoughtful superhero action film that defies genre conventions.
Synopsis: In the near future, a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) cares for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) at a remote... [More]
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Richard E. Grant
Directed By: James Mangold
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