X-Men: Days of Future Past has surpassed the 500 Million mark worldwide and is headed towards being the highest grossing X-Men film of all time. Or at least till the next one comes out in 2016. Let’s look and rank the seven films from least favorite to the head of the class.
7. X-Men: Last Stand (2006): It may be the current domestic record holder but this third film in the series directed by Brett Ratner, is an abomination on every level. Nuff said.
6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009): This film was originally thought about as a first of several “origin” type stand-alone X-Men films. And who better than Wolverine to kick it off? Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Hugh Jackman does his usual best in the title role and Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth is a fun villain but that’s about it. Between Ryan Reynolds (to no fault of his own) as a poorly envisioned Deadpool and a weak script, this origins film was DOA. It would take two more years to right the wrong of the last two films of this series.
5. X-Men (2000): The one that began it all and the first of three films directed by Bryan Singer, X-Men is a fantasy thrill ride that hadn’t been seen since the first Batman film in 1989. To put it in perspective, the popularity of the X-Men rivaled, if not surpassed the now popularity of The Avengers. The fanboys and fangirls could not wait to see a live action film of their beloved mutants. Patrick Stewart as Professor X was perfect casting. Ian McKellen as Magneto was an interesting choice and when you saw him on screen, you knew it was the right one. The most interesting casting was a little known Aussie actor named Hugh Jackman in the role of the most popular of the X-Men, Wolverine. There was so much negative press about this that now it seems comical because who else but Jackman could play Wolverine. Oh how the times have changed.
There is hope for Ben Affleck yet.
4. The Wolverine (2013): The best of the solo Wolverine films thus far. Hugh Jackman owns this character perhaps better than any actor who portrays a superhero on film does. Loosely based on the Silver Samurai storyline, The Wolverine serves as a sequel of sorts to Last Stand . Haunted by the memories of Jean Grey, Logan Japan Logan
3. X2: X-Men United (2003): It’s seldom that a sequel outdoes its predecessor. X2 is such a film. X-Men was quite good but X2 was so much better in terms of action and suspense. The bar had been raised both visually and in scope of the original. It was also laying the groundwork for what should have been a great Dark Phoenix storyline to follow. Unfortunately it will not come to fruition when Brett Ratner took over as director due to Bryan Singer’s involvement with Superman Returns. It will take 11 more years to right this wrong. X2 also showcases one of the best opening scenes in the series with Nightcrawler’s attack on the White House. Great stuff!
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014): Fourteen years after the first premiered, X-Men has never been better. DOFP has the right mix of The Avengers with its team flare and banter and Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy due to its dark and brooding mood. It was the passing of the torch from the Patrick Stewart/Ian McKellen days to James McAvoy/Michael Fassbender. Much praise to director Bryan Singer who found the right mix to showcase the talents of the original cast and their younger counterparts and having Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine serve as the bridge for both. Another major positive, Singer corrected the mistakes of Last Stand. Didn’t hide from them, just fixed them. With Age of Apocalypse slated for 2016, the future or is it the past seems bright for the X-Men film franchise.
1. X-Men: First Class (2011): Also known as when Charles met Erik. Is First Class that much better than DOFP? Not by much. But you can’t have it without this film. First Classestablished the roots in which all future X-Men films will be based on. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Stewart breathed new life to the beloved and to be honest aging characters of Professor X, Magneto and Mystique respectively. We saw their origins and the conflict that eventually tear them apart. This was the origin film that the producers over at Fox was hoping for but didn’t get with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Thankfully they stuck to their guns and gave us arguably gave us the best of the X-Men.
There you have it, my take on the X-Men series through seven films over the last fourteen years. Here’s looking forward to the next round of films which will include a third Wolverine and another X-Men.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
