20 Comic Book Movies That Are Practically Flawless
13. X-Men 2 (2003)
The first X-Men was a major hit, heralding the arrival of a franchise that destined for big things, but it was with X2 that the series really hits its stride and outdid itself.
Taking its story from Chris Claremont's comic God Loves Man Kills, the bold and expansive sequel follows the X-Men as they're forced to team-up with Magneto (Ian McKellen) to stop the villainous Colonel Stryker (Brian Cox) from wiping out the mutant race.
Diving head-first into themes of oppression and prejudice whilst never losing sight of its superhero drama, X2 is where the franchise became the cultural landmark it's seen as today, especially in the way it wisely allows Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to take centre stage.
The franchise may have gone bigger down the line, but even so the X-Men have rarely been better than they were here.