The Original X-Men Trilogy | An Endcredit Retrospective 

What I like about old X Men is how the human element is prioritized. Take X2 for instance. Most stories would focus on the world ending consequences of Stryker’s plan, but that is actually barely shown in the movie. What it does show is Roque and Bobby struggling with their relationship due to Rogue’s ability. It shows Jean trying to protect Scott at the cost of her own life. It shows Nightcrawler being turned from a sweet, well meaning man into a monster for personal gain. It shows Magneto trying to take revenge on the people going after him. It shows Jason being turned into a vegetable for his condition. It’s not a story about a colonel trying to wipe out a group of people, it’s a story about people with strange conditions. That very human element is what made X Men better than other superhero movies.

I grew up on X2 and Terminator 2. Red Dawn was a staple too. They were all replayed so much for a reason.

Mystique breaking into the Stryker base is also iconic.

It was a good movie, but all of these were missing Cyclops. That’s the character that the MCU needs to get right imo for a truly great X-Men movie imo.

X-2 is the only one of the three that I rewatch and one of the only movies that makes me cry. Mostly it's Jean's sacrifice, but the rest of it comes from the reaction of those around her; Storm is sad at having lost a friend (which since she resents humans for their treatment of mutants, would impact her more as Jean is a fellow mutant), Wolverine and Cyclops are sad at having lost the woman they love and Prof.X lost a student and someone he cared for greatly. The simplicity of the storyline and the pacing just make it such a great movie.

The fight at Jean Grey's house is my favorite because unlike other superhero fight scenes where it takes place in large open spaces, the fight scene at the house feels tense because they're all fighting in a confined space which makes them have to think quickly. Not to mention we get to see a godly display of telekinesis through a telekinetic storm, Jean Grey as the Phoenix didn't have to concentrate because all she had to do was think. All at once, she lifted up the house and pinned everyone to the ceiling, she is fighting in a telepathic battle between her and Charles (There's a deleted scene where we hear their psychic battle), and she halted the telekinetic storm as all of the debris and pieces of furniture are suspended in the air. That's a really impressive display of power and that's why this scene is my favorite out of the trilogy. Sorry for the long rambling.

I still think DOFP and Logan were the best.

The original X-men movie was the model for modern day marvel machine. It set the standard for family-friendly superhero movies because two years later came Spider-Man but before X-men was blade. The film fit perfectly into that grey area of comicbook media. It’s thematic, atmospheric, action and fight scenes carry weight and tension. X2 is remarkably crafted and the standout of the trilogy, bigger stakes, a better story, improved effects and visuals, a memorable score, excellent performances. It’s so underrated it pains me. Easily one of the best comicbook movies ever made and one of the few sequels that surpasses the original. With a poignant climax, and a brilliant opening sequence, X2 is arguably the best film in the entire franchise. The last stand is the weakest in the trilogy, it doesn’t hit its mark unlike it’s predecessors. However it does have some redeeming qualities. Great production value, fine set pieces, a really good score, impressive VFX and an emotionally gripping climax make it worthy of recognition. Last stand is an average movie but it’s serviceable and has good replay value.

X2 is the best film from the trilogy BY FAR

This is a great takeaway! X2 was a lot of fun cause the stakes were so much higher and felt realistic. The X Mansion was discovered and trashed, leaving the mutants to be nomads. The car chase from the Mansion to Rogue's house was actually fun to watch too, even under the threat of danger. Ice Man got more screen time and his stand off against Pyro made sense (ice powers vs. fire powers). And lots of other character development. As you mentioned, this doesn't take away from X1's foundation or X3's closeout though. Each trilogy entry is important and unique in it's own way. Sequels after DOFP were unnecessary in my opinion).

Nightcrawlers scene n the White House is still fire

Great vid man and X2 is the best 👌

1. X-2 2. Logan 3. Deadpool 4. Days of Future Past 5. First Class 6. Deadpool 2 7. The Last Stand 8. X-men 9. The Wolverine 10. Apocalypse 11. The New Mutants 12. Dark Phoenix 13. Origins: Wolverine I feel The Last Stand could've worked if A. They cut out the Phoenix Saga arc for a later 4th movie before we go into prequels, and B. They had Taylor Kitsch's Gambit paired with Anna Paquin's Rogue in this movie instead of introducing him in Origins: Wolverine.

X2 and days of future past was the best

1. X2: X-Men United 2. Logan 3. X-Men: Days of Future Past 4. Deadpool 5. X-Men: First Class 6. Deadpool 2 7. X-Men 8. The Wolverine 9. X-Men: Apocalypse 10. The New Mutants 11. X-Men: The Last Stand 12. X-Men Origins: Wolverine 13. Dark Phoenix

The X-men OT is the Star Wars OT... X2 is Empire Strikes Back.

X2, First Class and Days of Future Past are my favorite X-Men movies. I love Logan and I like The Wolverine is pretty good even it gets the Silver Samurai all wrong.

Mystique is one of the best villains in the original trilogy. I hated it when she loses her abilities in X3. I met the actress at comic con. I got her autograph

16:57 not literally. Mystique injected him with some liquid iron and thats what hes extracting. But you're on point with everything else in the video. Well said

And night crawler introducing himself to Wolverine Save it🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Thank you so much

Fantastic video! I just recently finished the trilogy on a rewatch a couple weeks ago and it actually really holds up. X2 is the best but X1 is incredible still. Honestly, X3 really gets too much hate. Besides just a couple of cringe lines, it's a serviceable end to the trilogy that wraps everything up in a nice bow

I really enjoyed this video, but if I could ask: is the background music an intentional choice? the pseudo-punk nineties guitar drone at the beginning of the video did a decent job of undercutting the tension. But in headphones.....it was exceptionally distracting. As for the trilogy - X-Men being my favorite coming book IP of all time - I honestly did a yippee skippy when the first film came out. I tend to consider the Singer instalments as one film divided into two parts. Then that Brett Ratner fever dream happened, and then we're into an entirely new trilogy. X2 I agree is head and shoulders the best of the three. But while it could be argued through slitted eyes and with a lot of optimism that the first film was told via Rogue's perspective as a new mutant, there is a clear moment when she hands off the film to Wolverine. And then from there it's just been all Wolverine. The end. And I think this hyperfocus on him as been one of the live action X-Men's greatest drawbacks.

My main problem with x-3 is California. In first 2 films, they say their school is at upstate ny but in x-3, it’s suddenly at Bay Area California

It wasn’t the natural iron Iron in his bloodstream Magneto rips out. Mystique injected real Iron in him. That is what Magneto rips out of him.

The background music takes you out of the video

10:33. Are you being freaking serious??!!! Not all mutants have powers that have offensive capabilities. There is literally a mutant who just has a long neck as a mutation. What about Squidboy who’s power is to just breathe under water? What about Rogue? If Rogue entered a fight, do you think she needs some way to fight and defend herself by using guns? Because she can’t get in close on the first second of the fight. Not all mutant have powers that can be used for attacks, GENUIS!

Thank you being so kind all mighty all knowing loving help me and these people to better understand you amen

The only really good thing about X-3 is Halle Berry's haircut. X2 is such a wonderful film, and the first one is pretty good too.

agreed X2 was the best. Colossus was under utilized.

It felt somewhat realistic in the ways they used their powers etc for one, and we finally got more iceman, more Rogue, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Cyclops, in an ingaging plot and story. It felt like the next one after would be Sentinels with even more new characters plus the one we were introduce to like Gambit, flying strong Rogue, and Angel all wearing comic accurate costumes, but that never happened. This is why this was the best x men film.

Shoutouts to David Hayter

I don’t think the young Jean scene could’ve been a blue print for the young Tom Riddle scene in Harry Potter because I’m pretty sure half blood prince’s book predates the release of Last Stand by a couple years

New sub thank you sir

When you said we wouldn’t see an event that would affect the entire population of earth after X2 until Infinity war, did you forget about days of future past and the impact the sentinels of the future had on both the mutant and human population. I’m pretty sure the events of days of future past could be considered a Thanos level threat.

If I want to watch a proper adaptation of both parts of the Phoenix Saga, I will watch the third season of the X-men animated series

They should use comic accurate costumes even the Sexier ones some people love them for different reasons, and of people use the excuse people wouldn't wear that yes they would, and even so people wouldn't really have powers either.it entertainment.

I recently rewatched this trilogy again and it made me sad to catch something. As a kid I remember thinking how could Cyclops, forever stoic dutiful leader, was made a wimp by the end of X2/beginning of 3. (I was teen so yes, cool leader of the xmen crying and mourning? Boo hoo they ruined him) Now? As an adult? Oh BOI. The person he loved told him straight up she was scared something bad was going to happen and Scott held her in his arms and said "I won't let anything happen" AND THEN SHE DIES RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM? AND SHE PREVENTS HIM AND ANYONE OF HELPING? And the ultimate punch in the gut: she comes back to life, but it's not her anymore, she's something monstrous that only ends in both their deaths. WHOA. That's heartbreaking storytelling!

Back when less was more Now that Disney got the X-Men, everything will be overblown with CGI and memes

The only thing that I had a problem with is Magneto. Him trying to kill all of the humans seemed a little bit extreme, no? I don’t recall him being that murderous in the first movie . And leaving Charles there like that? Did he leave him there to what, DIE? I thought that the third movie was better than its reputation (Although yeah, The Juggernaut sucked in it .). I’m glad that I found this video , thanks for making this .

You sound like someone who has never read the comics or watched the animated series. I have read the comics and loved the series. I like the movies but half characters are done wrong. Rogue feels more like Jubilee since she and Wolverine are the eyes of the audience in the in the story.

Did Angel's dad really deserve to DIE?

The X-men movies aren’t the MCU. They are Fox Marvel. There is a difference.

This videos does not talk about the Hit movie Hancock starring Will Smith 0/10

X-men one is unwatchable for me. X2 is a personal classic. I liked last stand.

The movies are very hit or miss. It feels more like Wolverine and Friends and not the X-Men.

AVI ARAD worked on the first movies as executive producer But for THE LAST STAND, he decided to step in as the main producer That's why we got a movie done by a director with no passion, and a limited story overstuffed with characters, just so he could sell more toys

Maybe be a little less whiny in your reviews?

X-2 is only beaten by Spawn to be the worst comic book movie ever due to it being nothing close to it's source material. graphic novel God Loves, Man kills is X-2's source material. Read that and tell me you still like X-2. They ruined my favorite story from X-Men when they made X-2. Stryker didn't have any kids because he killed his wife and kid in that graphic novel. Stryker had nothing to do with how Wolverine was made either. God loves, Man kills made me a X-Men fan.

The movies don’t mention that Mystique is Nightcrawler’s mother yet she and Kurt both appear in X2 and that terrible X-men Apocalypse prequel. I hate how Apocalypse is done in that movie. Terrible movie.

How can you love X3? I mildly like it but it gets so many characters wrong. It does two storylines from the comics. The Cure store and the Dark Phoenix but the Phoenix part is done so badly. Juggernaut is totally wrong. Caine Marko hates mutants. Deadpool 2 portrayed Caine Marko much better and both Deadpool movies got Colossus perfectly accurate as he is in the comics and the animated series. In the X-men movies Colossus is too westernized. He feels nothing like the character from the comics and animation except in appearance and in powers. He isn’t a mutant in the comics!! His powers are magical. He says so in the X-men animated series. Psylocke appears in the movie too and is done wrong as well. Bret Ratner is a terrible director. As a fan of the animated series, I almost hate X3.

In regard to separating the art from the artist: none of the movies made by Bryan Singer are good enough to overcome the horrendous crimes he is accused of. He’s not, for instance, a Roman Polanski level talent. Also all of the positive messaging in the X-Men movies are tainted by his involvement. I will not ever watch any of his movies again.