Every X-Men Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

One of the greatest decisions Bryan Singer ever made for the X-Men franchise was having it play out through the eyes of Anna Paquin's Rogue and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Their dynamic: of wide-eyed naivety versus grizzled cynicism is still one of the most rewarding parts of the franchise, and it offered the audience a way into the world that made it feel like we were complicit.

Overall, the cast is exceptionally well thought out (okay, so Halle Berry is a wooden, but you can't win them all), and the relationships between characters are all utterly believable. At the top of the pile, Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart channel their Thespian experience into making Charles and Erik as grandiose as they are warm and charismatic.

And looking back, it's no surprise that this film launched a franchise worth almost $4bn: the script is exceptional, the characters colourful but relatable and the simple idea of difference (of mutant/human conflict) is irresistibly compelling.

How strange to think that one of the film's most defining, and most marketable performances - of Jackman as Logan - almost didn't happen at all.