One of the staples of comic books, the X-Men have been massively successful since their debut at Marvel. The main protagonists, who are mutants attending an academy run by Professor Charles Xavier, represent larger issues in society and serve as allegories. The popularity of the X-Men has led to their inclusion in countless TV shows, video games and movies. In 2000, the X-Men received the first live action trilogy. Successful from the start, it inspired countless subsequent films and franchises. Though I’d like to rank them equally, this list calls for me to go from worst to best, so without further ado, here are the X-Men trilogy films from worst to best!
3. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlCEtoMusjY
The third film in a franchise often is the point where the creativity starts to subside and formulaic ideas become commonplace. As the final film in the original trilogy, The Last Stand features the Dark Phoenix plot involving mutant Jean Grey. The X-Men are forced to confront the situation, with chaos coming from all sides. Can they handle the disaster without major fallout?
The Last Stand saw the departure of director Bryan Singer, with him being replaced by Brett Ratner. Due to this disorganization, the film struggled and ultimately was left with uneven editing. Indeed, The Last Stand means well, but fails to live up to its source material.
2. X-Men (2000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy5R5_T243w
It wasn’t clear if a comic book film that wasn’t based off of Superman or Batman could succeed in 2000. Despite this, X-Men exceeded all expectations.
The first film in the trilogy, X-Men introduces us to the character we know and love, along with the themes that define the series. At Professor Xavier’s mutant academy, several new recruits arrive such Wolverine and Rogue, while the group’s arch-nemesis Magneto plans to take down the X-Men. Can the group stop their foe?
X-Men made the ground fertile for future superhero movies, after the Joel Schumacher Batman movies made them temporarily box office poison. Indeed, many superhero films followed the X-Men franchise due to this film’s success. While X-Men doesn’t have the most ambitious plot, it is sufficiently entertaining and develops all of our favorite characters.
1. X2 (2003)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voxI4h7Jzmo
The second film in any franchise is often the most important one. While a successful first film generates money, the second film determines if a franchise can flourish. In the early 2000s, the lucrative franchises of the present day were not guarantees, nor were they as ubiquitous as they are now. In 2003, X2 proved that a franchise was indeed possible.
X2 sees the same ragtag team return to the big screen. After the nefarious Colonel Stryker intends to attack the X-Men, they are forced to team up with their enemy, the Brotherhood. Can they put aside their differences for the greater good?
X2 is definitely the strongest film in the original franchise. It continues to develop the characters effectively while also featuring more daring action scenes than its predecessor. The grey morality is refreshing when most superhero films would prefer to have more black and white conflicts. Overall, it’s the best in the trilogy.
