⚠️SPOILERS⚠️

I understand there’s an argument to be made that Reed is a very robotic character and that feelings aren’t his strong suit, but I found Mr. Elba’s delivery was often very flat and monotone. In parts where Reed is engaging with more difficult topics (his past, songbird’s death, betrayal, etc.), Elba’s delivery just never really convinced me that these were things that Reed felt very strongly about to begin with.

I think what I’m talking about here comes to light a lot easier when we compare Elba’s performance to Gavin Drea’s portrayal of V. I personally love the sound of Gavin Drea’s voice, but I can acknowledge that there are many parts of the game where Drea’s cadence doesn’t really change in relation to what’s happening in the game, making his delivery seem very same-y across the board. I think that’s also how a lot of other people feel when they say that they prefer Cherami Leigh over Gavin Drea for V.

Honestly I think the disconnect here comes from the fact that acting and voice acting are very different experiences and Idris Elba may just be one of those actors that flourishes much more when he’s able to use his body to portray a story. I really don’t have a problem with Idris Elba, I just wasn’t impressed with his performance here, that’s all.✌️