Daniel Craig SNL Youtube: Daniel Craig Promotes James Bond Skyfall on Saturday Night Live

Impact

It’s a busy weekend for Daniel Craig. Tonight he is on SNL promoting his upcoming James Bond 007 movie Skyfall. While this is sure to be hilarious, it's always weird to see someone as straight laced as Craig on SNL. Craig’s third Bond movie will be very telling of the direction of the franchise.  Whether purists and casual fans think it's a good direction remains to be told.

One big change in the 50-year movie franchise will be that Bond no longer orders his classic martini, "shaken not stirred." Instead, he will opt for a Heineken beer (of all things). Why Bond would order a faux-class lager is confusing, especially considering the British’s penchant for strong beers. While at first glance it may seem that perhaps Bond is trying to get into the younger market, a glance at the Heineken-Bond promotion history paints a different picture. Heineken is riding on Bonds coattails as a debonair man of the world to foster its own image in the U.S. Bond purists will certainly not like it, but it’s merely a drink order. It won’t ruin the movie.

The real issue may be the actual movie. James Bond is a spy. Spies sneak around, try their best not to be noticed, have fancy gadgets (beyond just a car), get girls, and walk out of explosions while looking really cool.  Casino Royale had all of this. Quantum of Solace had most but not the first two.  Quantum of Solace, it was more like a Jason Bourne movie than a James Bond movie. Craig never snuck anywhere, he would just walk in and beat everyone up and then walk out. It was an action movie, not a spy movie. That’s where my gripe is about the last Bond movie and what I hope changes in this one. I want to see some hidden escapes and ingenious disguises. Y’know? Spy movie stuff.  If I wanted Jason Bourne I’d go watch Jason Bourne.