Season 2 of X–Men ‘97 is upon us and the mutants are returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Doomsday. Wolverine has a video game coming out and a few days before that game is released, the X-Men immersive event The Uncanny Experience is happening in Minnesota. X-Men fans are feasting and so it’s only fitting to go down memory lane to look back at the live action films.

We recently revisited the worst films of the franchise in The Worst Mutations. Now let’s revisit and rank the middle of the pack with the five X-Men films that are middle of the pack or just completely miss out on greatness.

The New Mutants

Release Date: August 28, 2020

Box Office: $49.2 million

I honestly think people forget about this film. It was delayed so many times and was released during the pandemic, so it barely made a cultural impact. The only thing that most people talk about is the casting of Anya Taylor-Joy as Magik. But I’m going to confuse something, I don’t hate this movie. It is a film that has a lot of potential that got swallowed up by the Disney/Fox merger and Covid. It tries to bring the mutants into a horror setting with Dani Moonstar learning how to control her powers, but by doing so, it releases the fear of the mutants around her.

Anya Taylor-Joy will hopefully reprise the role of Magik in future X-Men films. Despite some questionable antics and mean spirited dialogue, Anya could come back to the role and turn it into something special. Masie Williams as Wolfsbane is another good casting decision but the rest of the cast does seem miscast or lacking in the accent department. Charlie Heaton’s accent drove me crazy throughout the film. The first two acts of The New Mutants is very slow and most of the characters are hard to root for. But despite that, the Demon Bear special effects are fantastic and finishes with a good third act. The third act left me wanting more from these characters as character development was stuffed in, along with action.

Deadpool 2

Release Date: May 18, 2018

Box Office: $786 Million

I was shocked to have Deadpool 2 this low on the rankings too. Deadpool 2 is a fun movie with some hilarious moments, but it was inexcusable what they did to Vanessa in this film. The relationship between Wade and Vanessa is something we will explore when discussing Deadpool as it was one of the strongest parts of the film. Deadpool 2 throws that away to introduce new characters, some work extremely well and others are used as punching bags.

Also, I hated Russell/Firefist (played by Julian Dennison), he plays a pivotal part in the story as the reason why Cable (played by Josh Brolin) travels through time. The character of Russell is irritating to the point that I did not care about his fate. By the time the big climatic fight happens with a brilliantly designed Juggernaut, I cared more about the future of Cable, Deadpool and Domino (Played by Zazie Beets).

Deadpool 2 is a fun movie that is rewatchable, but a weak villain and second act does hinder the film. The creation of X-Force was hilarious with the introduction of Peter (Played by Rob Delaney) has to be the best reoccurring joke in the Deadpool trilogy.

The Wolverine

Release Date: July 26, 2013

Box Office: $415 Million

I feel like this and another movie on this list was when we started to see more layers to Logan. The Wolverine is a pretty underrated film in the X-Men film franchise, as we start to see Logan deal with mortality. Up until this point, Logan was shown as a loner turned into leader with his origin being explored in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. What I love about The Wolverine is the ghost of Jean Grey haunting Logan on his journey through Japan. It introduces a complex element to his character, holding guilt and the desire to be done with this life.

So why is The Wolverine in the middle of the pack in the X-Men film franchise? The third act feels forced with a heavy CGI Silver Samurai that feels out of place in a grounded story. I feel like the Silver Samurai could be used again in a film, but the tonal shift from fighting ninjas to a giant mech did not work well. Viper (played by Svetlana Khodchenkova) was used as eye candy throughout the film and suddenly shifts to this unstoppable force. However despite this, The Wolverine is a good entry into the franchise because of James Mangold’s direction and being influenced by one of the best comic stories featuring Wolverine by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.

Deadpool & Wolverine

Release Date: July 26, 2024

Box Office: $1.338 Billion

The only X-Men film to gross over a billion dollars and it was a buddy comedy that focused heavily on cameos. Deadpool & Wolverine is not a film but more of an experience. It plays the greatest hits of both characters, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds have unmatched chemistry, and this acts as a way to bring Wolverine and Deadpool into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is a paper thin story which does make this more of an experience than a film. Wade needs to find Wolverine to save his universe but the Wolverine he finds is the worst Wolverine, they both get sent to the void where they battle against Cassandra Nova (Played by Emma Corrin) to get back home.

I have fun with Deadpool & Wolverine as it’s just a fun film for the fans. From unexpected cameos and introductions to characters. Some may think that this damages the legacy of Logan, however I think was the right decision to tell the tale of a different Wolverine. Let Hugh Jackman show off his comedic skills and mix in the complexity of the character from the films past. I understand why some people do not like this movie, its stupid and way too much fan service throughout. But this movie is meant to be fun and we are going to be blessed with Deadpool and Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward. At least until they are 90.

X-Men

Release Date: July 14, 2000

Box Office: $296.3 Million

The movie that started it all. I was only eight years old, and the leather bound team was becoming my favorite superhero team, I just didn’t know it yet. The first time seeing the claws come out of Wolverine’s hand, we knew that Hugh Jackman was born to play this role. The story was good and we finally got to see the mutants in a big studio live action film. Does the film hold up today? Yes and no! Yes, because it feels like a time capsule and the understanding that everything stems from this film. No, because some of the casting decisions and special effects have aged poorly.

The casting of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen as Magneto was on point. So much so, that 26 years later, the actors are still playing the characters. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as Mystique and James Marsden as Cyclops are both underrated castings that has gained some love over the years. But where the film struggles is with the casting of Rogue and Storm. I understand the casting of Halle Berry as Storm but even in the first film, it felt more like Berry was cosplaying as Storm. As for Rogue, Anna Paquin is given a script that does not allow Rogue to show her true powers and creates for an annoying character. Sadly, this would be something that would follow the characters throughout live action films.

X-Men is a film that garners respect for what spawns out of it. For that, that is why its sixth on the list of X-Men films.