All 13 X-Men movies ranked from worst to best

2. X-Men: First Class (2011)

Imagine stepping into a time machine, dialing the year back to the swinging '60s, and finding yourself smack in the middle of a world where mutants are just starting to figure out their place among the humans. That's where X-Men: First Class took us, a movie that took the somewhat tired legs of the X-Men franchise and injected them with the mutant equivalent of a double espresso shot.

This movie ranks at a dazzling number two out of the thirteen X-Men movies and it's not just because of the groovy vintage costumes or the Cold War backdrop. It's because it managed to do what some thought was impossible: make the X-Men fresh, exciting, and oh-so-dramatically complex again.

The secret sauce? A deep dive into the bromance-turned-rivalry between the very perfectly cast duo of Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto). Before they were archenemies with wildly different philosophies about mutant and human coexistence, they were friends. X-Men: First Class explores their origin stories with such finesse, blending real historical events (hello, Cuban Missile Crisis) with mutant shenanigans, that it feels like you're watching the mutant edition of a history channel. This combo of personal drama, historical intrigue, and superhero action not only reinvigorated the franchise but also resonated with fans and critics alike, earning its spot as the second-best X-Men movie.

It's like finding out your history teacher is a mutant with the power to make the past exciting and relevant - truly a class of its own.