The X-Men franchise has never been anything but a crazed potpourri of mutant abilities, time travel, and enough leather to make a biker gang’s collective cheeks turn bright red. From race-against-the-clock timelines to R-rated redemption stories, it’s a franchise that constantly reinvents itself, whether for the good or for ill.
But when it comes to determining the top of the lot, few websites cut through the clutter like Rotten Tomatoes. In the opinion of the critics and fans, here are the top five X-Men movies that stood out from the din (and the Sentinels).
1. Logan
James Mangold’s Logan isn’t merely the greatest X-Men film—it’s among the best superhero films period. With a gritty, bare-bones storyline and career-high acting from Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, Logan abandons the customary CGI fireworks in favor of something much more grounded.
It’s an angry, emotionally raw swan song that substitutes spandex for scars, and pyrotechnics for metaphysical gravity. The R-rating isn’t window dressing—it permits Wolverine at last to let the berserker fury long desired by fans rage, but it’s the emotion beneath the gore that raises Logan to modern myth.
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
Part sequel, part soft reboot, Days of Future Past brings the old and new cast together perfectly in a time-travel narrative that works. It walks the line between grim dystopian consequences and personal character drama, delivering us from Sentinel chaos to fraught Magneto-Professor X confrontations.
By consolidating timelines and resetting the franchise’s miscues (cough The Last Stand), the film revitalized the series with both critical success and box office power. It’s the occasional blockbuster that’s ambitious, emotional, and somehow coherent.
3. X-Men: First Class
Against the hipster background of the 1960s, First Class reimagines the mutant epic by returning to the formative years of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender inject new life into the classic feud, and the movie bases its superpowers on Cold War hysteria and personal loss.
With searing performances, razor-sharp direction, and a remarkably mature tone, First Class provided the franchise with the shot in the arm it so urgently required—and set the stage for some of its greatest future installments.
4. Deadpool
Deadpool burst onto the scene like a chimichanga-packed grenade, rewriting the rules of what a superhero film could be. Irreverent, violent, and starkly self-aware, Ryan Reynolds’ pet project turned the genre inside out with fourth-wall shattering, meta gags, and cheerful brutality.
It’s half-comedy, half-action movie—and that’s half the point. By not playing by the book, Deadpool broke down new doors for R-rated comic book movies and demonstrated that sometimes the best way to rescue the genre is to scorch the earth.
5. Deadpool & Wolverine
The new installment is already a favorite among fans. Deadpool & Wolverine might not be at the top of this list, but it’s an action-packed celebration of all the best things fans enjoyed about Fox’s mutant universe. Critics are divided—some adore the fine balance of humor, heart, and gore, while others think the craziness sometimes gets in the way of the story.
But here’s what’s certain: watching Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman destroy the screen together is the sort of mutant madness that fans waited years to see. It’s nostalgic, crazy, and unapologetically fun.
Mutants, Mayhem, and a Legacy of Risk
The X-Men movies have long lived on risk, from character-centric endings to crazy timeline reboots. And though not all of them landed with a resounding thud (Dark Phoenix, we’re calling you out), these top five show that daring storytelling and emotional resonance can make even the most super-charged of tales soar.
Whether it’s a bittersweet goodbye or a meta-driven buddy flick, the best of X-Men reminds us why we’re not done yet: not for the powers, but for the heart behind the hero.