James Bond Films That Deserve A Modern Day Remade

Great movie franchises do not come along that often but James Bond has been around for 60 years

To commemorate the milestone, Amazon Prime Video made every film about the intrepid superspy available on its platform. The documentary The Sound Of 007 is still available on the streaming service for those who have seen every single second of Agent 007’s fictional adventures.The Broccolis and a select group of Eon Productions insiders are currently the only ones with knowledge of the franchise’s future plans, but what if some older films were to be remakes?

And that’s either because the first films didn’t live up to expectations or because the plot would work even better in the present.

Octopussy (1983)

Octopussy is one of the most poorly received Bond movies, and a remake should be considered “just take out all the terrible scenes.”

The terrible scenes, but there are a few notable ones. For example, Bond does a Tarzan yell during a jungle chase, but it’s hardly hilarious. He also dresses in a clown costume on another occasion in an effort to be funny, something Craig’s Bond would never do. There’s no doubt that a new Octopussy movie without such scenes would be a huge improvement.

A View To Kill (1985)

One of the newer installments also gets a mention. A View To Kill would be an easy movie to remake because “the plot isn’t too farfetched.”

A plot about a microchip manufacturer that seeks to destroy Silicon Valley to have a monopoly does feel very applicable to current times when tech is everything. True to the movie’s events, there was a microchip shortage lately, and if such real-life events could be worked into a fictional plot, it would be even more fascinating.

Never Say Never Again (1983)

Never Say Never Again marked Sean Connery’s return to the role after a brief retirement and was the first installment not to be made by Eon Productions. In a thread about remakes “Never say never because it is not an official Bond movie.”

It’s a perfect idea because Casino Royale is also a remake of a non-official Bond movie. And it turned out to be way better. The opportunity to see an elderly Bond is something many fans would relish too. More so, it would be the perfect opportunity to bring back a former Bond actor such as Pierce Brosnan or Timothy Dalton.

Moonraker (1979)

Since ”the film itself was a reaction to Star Wars,” a modern take could make it more Bond-like and less of a blatant attempt at riding on the ‘70s Sci-Fi wave. And that can be easily done by staying true to the book, which is more about a missile threat than a space mission.

James Bond forgets himself while trying to be Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Consequently, there are such huge differences between the Moonraker book and the movie. Keeping the movie’s events true to the novel (where most events happen in the UK) would feel more realistic since as an MI6 agent, James Bond has no business getting involved in excursions to space. Dealing with an industrialist who happens to be a Nazi sympathizer seems more like part of his job description.

Dr. No (1962)

Dr. No is one of the most critically acclaimed Bond movies but according to some, a remake would help fix some production issues. “CGI could do wonders for that film.”

Indeed, the movie’s cinematography does seem unimpressive when viewed through a modern lens. Even Dr. No’s flame-throwing armored vehicle, known as the Dragon Tank, looks cartoonish in the movie whereas it’s hyped up as an incredible machine in the novel. The movie’s story could thus be kept as it is, with the emphasis being on better camerawork, CGI, and a talented cast.

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

“Practically the whole novel” to be readapted as it is. And that’s understandable because it’s one of the poorly received Bond movies.

Though The Man With The Golden Gun has one of the deadliest Bond villains, it fails from a storytelling perspective by trying to make him a laser expert in addition to him being an expert assassin. A remake could benefit from keeping Scaramanga as the killing machine that he is meant to be and getting an actor that’s as skilled as Christopher Lee to play him. After all, the laser mania ended in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Quantum Of Solace (2008)

Daniel Craig’s second movie isn’t always held in high regard. “Iit’s very forgettable,” hence a remake would be nice.

It’s probably too soon to remake a Daniel Craig movie, but given how poorly executed the second movie was, treading the same ground wouldn’t be a bad idea years from now. With the revelation that the movie was shot without a proper script because of a writer’s strike, it’s clear what’s needed to make it better.

Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

“Like it was originally intended: A gritty revenge story against Blofeld.” That’s because the events take place after one of the most shocking events in Bond movies, the drive-by shooting that leaves Tracy dead.

It’s indeed weird that in the movie, Bond seems to forget that Blofeld was responsible for the death of his new bride. He easily shifts his focus to the diamond smuggling operation as if nothing happened. Ideally, the focus truly should be on Agent 007 hunting down the overarching villain and making him pay. Additionally, this version of Bond should be more reckless and ruthless than usual because he is overwhelmed by grief.

Live And Let Die (1973)

A drug lord who also happens to be a tyrant and subscriber of witchcraft? Condem the original plot, stating that the remake “doesn’t have to be blacksploitation to still demonstrate the drug problem in America.”

The Redditor makes a good point since the drug problem has been handled better in many movies as well as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, HBO’s The Wire. The remake could also avoid including supernatural elements, which came off as odd and misplaced in a movie about espionage. This time, Baron Samedi really should stay dead.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

George Lazenby’s only Bond movie is also one of the very best in the franchise. “It would be fantastic to see a modern version of it.”

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is best known for its iconic scene where Bond’s new bride, Tracy, gets killed. Having such events play out in modern times wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, the franchise appears to be moving away from Bond’s womanizing tendencies. Getting him to do a wedding would, therefore, be refreshing. And the death of his bride would drive him off the edge.