With the release of “Logan” in theaters this weekend, Hugh
Jackman has officially said goodbye to the X-Men universe, and his run as
Wolverine will go down in history as one of the most memorable runs by an actor
as an iconic character.
In total, Jackman appeared in nine of the 10 X-Men films,
with last year’s “Deadpool” being the only exception (much to Ryan Reynolds’
chagrin, I’m sure). Throughout the franchise, Jackman’s unique hairstyle,
ripped physique, and dedication to getting the character right always shined
through, and it could certainly be argued that without him, the franchise may
not have gotten to the point that it has gotten to now.
Now, with Jackman out of the picture, it seems like a great
time to reflect upon the movies that his character has helped to create. Which
ones were the best? Which ones are better left unwatched?
To answer those questions, here is my ranking of the X-Men
universe movies.
X-Men: The Last Stand
This movie regularly gets lampooned, and rightfully so. It’s
unwatchable, the battle scenes are completely boring, and the stakes never feel
properly amped up for what was supposed to be the potential end of the mutant
race.
Naturally, you know a movie is bad when another movie (“X-Men:
Days of Future Past”) is specifically designed to erase a story from the
continuity of the cinematic universe. With that in mind, “Last Stand” is a very
worthy dead-last film.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
A movie with Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, and freaking
Gambit should have been awesome, but the first Wolverine film was anything but.
The story wasn’t compelling, and the action sequences, while fun, couldn’t make
up for it.
It’s a very good thing that “Deadpool” came out and redeemed
Wade Wilson’s character, because if this film was the lone representation of
the Merc With a Mouth, then we would be worse off as movie fans.
X-Men: Apocalypse
The first two X-Men movies that featured the power trio of
James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence were both fantastic,
but this one left a lot to be desired. Apocalypse is a huge villain and several
of the characters introduced into this movie, including young Cyclops, Jean
Grey, and Storm, will form the backbone of the next generation of the X-Men
movie franchise, but even with all of that going for it, this movie felt
jumbled, boring, and way, WAY too long.
The Wolverine
A lot of folks hate this movie, and there are certainly bad
elements to it. The final battle scene is certainly a letdown, but the
depiction of Wolverine as mortal, along with certain scenes like the bullet
train fight scene, make this one at least watchable in comparison to the bad
movies at the bottom of this list.
X-Men
After the Batman franchise went from edgy to kitsch in the
90’s, there was no telling what to expect with the first X-Men movie, and
although this one wasn’t great, it wasn’t bad either. Patrick Stewart and Ian
McKellen both dominated the screen in their turns as Professor Xavier and
Magneto, and the quality casting didn’t stop there, as Jackman and Halle Berry
were both perfectly fit for their roles in the new universe.
X2: X-Men United
Without a doubt the best film of the original movie trilogy,
this movie had a ton going for it. Delving into Logan’s origins was definitely
a step in the right direction, and Brian Cox absolutely dominated the screen as
William Stryker. The scene with soldiers raiding Xavier’s mansion was
masterfully done, and the handling of Jean Grey’s development in the movie was
also top-notch.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
It pains me to rank this movie fourth. It was an absolutely
fantastic bit of work, as the film perfectly worked with some tough source
material to deliver a coherent and riveting film. There aren’t any dead spots
in this movie, with highlights like Quicksilver’s grand entrance into the
universe and Magneto’s fiendish machinations in the final act bolstering an
incredibly strong story. This movie doesn’t put a single foot wrong.
Deadpool
After his treatment in “X-Men Origins,” Wade Wilson was due
to get a strong stand-alone movie, and he definitely got it. Reynolds took the
part of Deadpool and ran gleefully with it, putting together a gory and
hilarious film that hit every note correctly and firmly established the
character as one of the best comic book characters put to screen.
This movie is endlessly quotable and rewatchable, and both
of those qualities serve it well on this list.
Logan
For those that haven’t seen Logan yet, I’ll spare you spoilers,
but know this: it is unlike any comic book movie you have ever seen. Writers
that have called it the Marvel equivalent to “The Dark Knight” may be
overstating its impact on the comic book movie genre, but this movie feels more
like a Western than a comic book film, and that tone and style perfectly suits
the storyline that they chose.
If this is indeed Hugh Jackman’s last romp as Wolverine (and
one has to assume that it is), then it is an absolutely perfect send-off, and
he has done right by the character.
X-Men: First Class
If we’re being honest, there is no way that anyone could
have possibly assumed that this movie was going to set a new benchmark for
comic book movies. Yes, the casting was seemingly divinely inspired, with
Lawrence serving as the perfect Mystique and McAvoy and Fassbender serving as a
perfect duo, but it would have been impossible to predict just how perfect the
whole thing would be.
The training montages with the young mutants learning to
harness their powers were flawless. The interactions between Magneto and
Xavier, including their first meeting and their first argument over the future
relationship between mutants and humans, are stunning. The climactic battle
scene, which does an incredible dance between painting Magneto as a madman and
someone who is completely justified in his hatred of humans, is the best of the
entire X-Men series.
Everything about this movie was flawless, and it provided an
incredible hurdle that any X-Men film is going to have a really difficult time
clearing in the future.
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