It's been a long time since the first X-Men film premiered; in fact, this week saw the 18th anniversary of the 2000 release of X-Men (directed by Bryan Singer), which revolutionized superheroes and comic book movies.

After X-Men, people started taking these films just a little more seriously, which led to the success of later films such as Spider-Man (directed by Sam Raimi) and ultimately the superhero films we have today, all because X-Men was able to present superheroes to a wider audience with a more serious tone than the otherwise frivolous, cartoony pieces to which they were accustomed.

RELATED: Why Is Fox Still Developing X-Men Movies?

To celebrate that, we're taking a look back at the franchise and ranking the eleven films released so far according to the scores they received from critics. Since the views of critics don't always reflect the opinions of the general audience, we'll also be providing audience scores where available, just so you can compare and contrast. Now that that's clear, let's get started with the lowest ranked film in the franchise...

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Average Score: 38.5

As many of you might already know, fans and critics alike took issue with X-Men Origins: Wolverine (directed by Gavin Hood) for a variety of reasons. As the title suggests, the film explored the origins of the franchise's most popular character, Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) from his youth in the 19th century into his life as a mercenary, until finally showing us how he turned into that lone wanderer who met the X-Men. It also introduced a new iteration of Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) and a universally hated version of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds).

Critics such as Roger Ebert expressed disapproval of the film as it turned its titular character into a "story device for action sequences" and even those sequences left much to be desired as David Denby of the New Yorker pointed out when he wrote, "Alas, there's nothing quite memorable here: much of the combat is just a whirl of movement photographed up close." The film currently holds a critic score of 37% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 40.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine currently holds an audience score of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.

X-Men: Apocalypse - Average Score: 50

Apocalypse in X-MEN: APOCALYPSE using his powers

Continuing the story of the X-Men in an altered timeline, X-Men: Apocalypse (directed by Bryan Singer) introduced arguably the most powerful mutant in the franchise to date, the titular Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). The film saw the debut of new iterations of Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) among others, all of which band together with the others to take down Apocalypse before he can destroy the world as we know it.

RELATED: X-Men: Dark Phoenix Figures Spotlight Frank Quitely-Inspired Costumes

Critics were underwhelmed by the events and characters of the film. Many agree that Apocalypse himself was lacking as a villain and that there was far too much stuffed into the 2 hour film. Peter Travers, writing for Rolling Stone wrote, "Singer throws so much mutant at us that nothing sticks" which was a notion shared by many critics. Angelica Jade Bastien, writing for RogertEbert.com called X-Men: Apocalypse a "confused, bloated mess of a film. The film currently holds a critic score of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 52.

X-Men: Apocalypse currently holds an audience score of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Every%20X-Men%20Movie%2C%20Ranked%3A%20The%20Last%20Stand%20for%20The%20Wolverine']



X-Men: The Last Stand - Average Score: 59.5

x-men-the-last-stand

The third film in the franchise brought somewhat of an end to the conflict between Xavier and Magneto with the climactic battle on Alcatraz Island over the use of a cure for the activation of the x-gene. Aside from introducing new characters such as Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) and Angel (Ben Foster), the film also concluded the transformation of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) into the Phoenix, something the films had been building up to since the very beginning.

Critics were not as impressed with X-Men: The Last Stand (directed by Brett Ratner) as they had been with its predecessors. For example, Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post wrote of the film, "Ratner makes a hash of the story and characters his predecessor brought to such complex, sympathetic life, delivering a pumped-up exercise in mayhem, carnage and blunt-force trauma." The film currently holds a score of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 58.

X-Men: The Last Stand currently holds an audience score of 61% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Wolverine - Average Score: 65

Poster for The Wolverine

The sequel to Logan's first solo film took the character far and away from everything audiences had seen so far. The Wolverine (directed by James Mangold) sees Logan living a simple, wild life in rural Canada before being swept away to Japan, where his forgotten past continues to haunt him. Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi/Ken Yamamura), whom Logan once rescued, re-emerges in Logan's life with a desire to take from Logan his healing factor and the willingness to kill anyone who stands in the way of that.

The film was better received than its predecessor. Critics praised the film for its visual aspect but criticized the lack of depth in many of the film's characters. Matthew Lickona of the San Diego Reader wrote, "Japan seems valued more for its scenery and costumes than anything having to do with its character." Christy Lemire from RogertEbert.com gave the film a more positive rating, stating that the film featured "breathtakingly suspenseful action sequences, exquisite production and costume design and colorful characters, some of whom register more powerfully than others." The film currently holds a critic score of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 61.

The Wolverine currently holds an audience score of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes.

X-Men - Average Score: 72.5

X-Men-Poster

The film that started it all. X-Men (directed by Bryan Singer) proved that superhero films could provide audiences with just as much depth as any other genre. The film collected everyone's favorite characters from the comics and managed to capture the essence of their struggles into one film: harmony between human and mutants versus domination. With their fantastic performances, the film would etch Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen into the minds of all when they thought of Wolverine, Professor Xavier and Magneto, respectively.

Critics agreed that the film was unique and that it was more or less a successful adaptation of the comics. Steven Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer, for example, wrote, "This is a film that should satisfy fans of the hugely popular comic book and audiences who can't tell one uncanny X-Man from another." However, like all films, X-Men wasn't able to impress everyone. Todd Anthony of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel likened the film to a sermon and wrote, "like most sermons, it isn't much fun to sit through." The film currently holds a critic score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 64.

X-Men currently holds an audience score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Page 3: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='Every%20X-Men%20Movie%2C%20Ranked%3A%20Here%20Comes%20the%20Merc%20With%20A%20Mouth']



Deadpool 2 - Average Score: 73

Deadpool-2-Flashdance-teaser-poster

The highly anticipated sequel to the film that came out of nowhere, Deadpool 2 (directed by David Leitch) was bigger and more action-packed. It aimed to deliver on the promise made to fans by its predecessor: Cable. Cable (Josh Brolin) played no small part in the wild emotional rollercoaster ride that was Deadpool 2. He was very much the focus of the film and its central conflict involving Firefist (Julian Dennison) and the Essex Home for Mutant Rehabilitation.

RELATED: Deadpool 2’s Omega Red Finally Makes His Debut

Several critics felt that it wasn't as fun or entertaining as the original. Richard Brody of the New Yorker, for example, wrote that the film "feels narrowly impersonal and oppressively unfree" while John Nugent of Empire felt that the film was in fact, "Funnier, filthier, and damn entertaining." The film currently holds a critic score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic score of 64.

Deadpool 2 currently holds an audience score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Deadpool - Average Score: 74

Deadpool-Poster

After a decade of attempts, Ryan Reynolds finally got the chance to star as a faithful adapation of Deadpool after it became abundantly clear that there was a huge demand for a Deadpool film (directed by Tim Miller). It was a story of revenge and romance, punctuated with an origin. Unlike the other films in the franchise, Deadpool parodied superhero films and broke the fourth wall constantly, much like the comic books on which it was based.

Critics generally praised the film for subverting expectations and toying with the conventional formula of superhero films. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune described the film as "far from dull" and went on to say that it "serves at critique as well as an example of what ails the superhero movie industry." Others found the film unimpressive, with critics such as Anthony Lane of the New Yorker writing that "watching the film is like sitting at dinner with a teen-ager who believes that, if he swears long and loudly enough, he will shock the grownups into accepting him as one of their own." The film currently holds a critic score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 65.

Deadpool currently holds an audience score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Page 4: [valnet-url-page page=4 paginated=0 text='Every%20X-Men%20Movie%2C%20Ranked%3A%20The%20First%20Class%20Stands%20United']



X-Men: First Class - Average Score: 75.5

x-men-first-class

After the original story had finished, the X-Men films received a prequel of sorts with X-Men: First Class (directed by Matthew Vaughn). Set during the Cold War, specifically the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film explored the history behind the friendship and subsequent conflict between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) while delicately and subtly handling heavy themes. The film also introduced new iterations of classic X-Men characters such as Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), helping to popularize the latter by giving the character much needed depth.

RELATED: How Do You Make a Green Lantern Corps Movie After Deadpool 2?

The film was received well by most critics as a soft reboot. Richard Roeper felt that the film "breathes new life into the sagging franchise" though not everyone agreed. David Denby of the New Yorker likened the film to a "very cheesy Cold War-era B-movie." The film currently holds a critic score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 65.

X-Men: First Class currently holds an audience score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

X2: X-Men United - Average Score: 76.5

Characters from X2: X-Men United

After an assassination attempt on the president of the United States by a mutant, William Stryker -- who secretly orchestrated the attempt -- is given permission to investigate and invade the Xavier Institute. A handful of mutants evade Stryker's forces and are forced to band together with Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants in order to put an end to Stryker's plot to end mutantkind once and for all.

RELATED: Deadpool 2: The Super Duper Cut Gets ‘Spandexier’ Video Announcement

Unlike most sequels, the film was better received than its predecessor. Critics praised the visual aspect of the film and many praised the subplots and characters for their depth and complexity. Michael O'Sullivan of the Washington Post wrote, "the fantastic and at times deliciously nihilistic world of X2 is fully, believably three-dimensional." Others however, critized the film for being overly complicated. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, for example, described it as a "soulless maze of special effects and relentless action." The film currently holds a critic score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 68.

X2: X-Men United (directed by Bryan Singer) currently holds an audience score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Page 5: [valnet-url-page page=5 paginated=0 text='Every%20X-Men%20Movie%2C%20Ranked%3A%20Old%20Man%20Logan%20Stands%20Alone']



X-Men: Days of Future Past - Average Score: 82.5

Xavier meets Xavier

After years of plot points and entire characters whose very existence conflicted with earlier iterations, X-Men: Days of Future Past (directed by Bryan Singer) was released; an attempt at mending the issues of the franchise by shifting timelines. The film featured the return of the original cast as well as the new and it all centred on the franchise's most popular character at the time: Wolverine, who travels back through time to prevent the development of the Sentinel Programme, which would otherwise decimate the mutant population.

RELATED: Russo Brothers Share Infinity War Parody Poster of Logan: Thanos

Critics were in agreement that the plot of the film was incredibly complex, which led to mixed reviews of the plot, though almost all agreed that the characters -- Quicksilver and Wolverine in particular -- had been well executed. A.O Scott of The New York Times praised the talents of the film's cast by writing, "as usual, the characters — and the performers playing them — step unto the breach to provide just enough wit and feeling to make Days of Future Past something other than a waste of a reasonable person’s time." The film currently holds a critic score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 75.

X-Men: Days of Future Past currently holds an audience score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Logan - Average Score: 85

Logan walking in front of the sunset

After nearly twenty years, Hugh Jackman was ready to retire from his role as Logan, AKA Wolverine. He returned to the role for one last film in Logan (directed by James Mangold). Set in the year 2029, Logan explores a world in which mutants are endangered. Logan's healing factor has been weakened and Xavier (Patrick Stewart), with whom Logan has been living with, relies on medication to keep his powers and his mental state in check. The world is bleak until they encounter Laura (Dafne Keen), who ultimately allows Logan to leave behind a worthwhile legacy.

RELATED: Logan Director Warns Fan Backlash Will Drive Filmmakers Away From Franchises

Critics and audiences alike praised the film as being the best in the franchise, mostly due to its ability to evoke powerful emotional responses as Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "Logan earns its tears. If Jackman and Stewart are serious about this being their mutual X-Men swan song, they could not have crafted a more heartfelt valedictory." Many agreed that it was a very different kind of superhero film, one which focused on character rather than spectacle. As Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service put it, the film "strips away the spandex, the posse and the chaos, distilling the story down to the essence of the man, Logan." The film currently holds a critic score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 77.

Logan currently holds an audience score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.