5. Casino Royale
Some may argue the opinion that Martin Campbell's brilliant Casino Royale isn't a remake, but this is technically the third adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel of the same name. The first adaptation of the source material came in 1954 on television and isn't seen by many. The second adaptation of the novel came in 1967, and was, to put politely, an absolute mess of a film, directed by a host of different filmmakers and featuring an ensemble cast with the likes of Peter Sellers, David Niven, Ursula Andress, Orson Welles, and Woody Allen. With those names in mind, it's clear to assume that it wasn't a faithful adaptation to the source material, instead it was an unfunny loosely remade Bond spoof (the best Bond spoof to date is Austin Powers). So, considering the two efforts that preceded the big-screen 2006 version, Campbell would have had to be high on bath salts to make a worse Casino Royale film. However, with regards to the outcry over the casting of Daniel Craig as the iconic spy (eating your words now, aren't you?), not many would have guessed that Campbell was going to direct arguably the best James Bond film to date. It's a bold statement, especially when speaking to James Bond purists who still yearn for gadgets, lots of fast cars, and casual sexism and racism, as Martin Campbell and Daniel Craig both took one of the most famous story characters in history in a completely new direction. Gone was the man that couldn't be harmed and who's every other line was a quip (still done, but not as frequently), and people said hello to a more realistic, gritty take. Bond could finally take a punch, and he could finally take his life-threatening situations seriously. He still shags anything with legs, but this James Bond is the most different that we've ever seen, who refreshed a franchise that was slowing down, and has perhaps gone onto overtake Sean 'can't pronounce his S'' Connery to the accolade of the best ever Bond.