Summary
While the focus ofCyberpunk 2077may be on its dystopian society, it also seems to be a playground for famous movie stars. Since launch, players have been able to hang out with Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand throughout their adventures as he is the focal point of the entire story. With the launch ofCyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Idris Elba is joining the fray as the mysterious agent Solomon Reed. Both characters add to the world considerably and make the game feel unique, but the performances could not be more different.
Cyberpunk 2077may not be the first video game either actor has appeared in, but it is the first time they have taken center stage in an AAA RPG. While it is a lot of fun to interact with these popular actors, their performances feel drastically different, so they may be a bit jarring for players. Some may even grow to dislike or be annoyed by some of their voice work, which could make their inclusion a bit controversial.
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Solomon Reed and Johnny Silverhand Couldn’t Be More Different
Within the first couple of hours ofCyberpunk 2077, players meetKeanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand. After a heist goes wrong, he slowly begins to overtake V and his memories begin to bleed into their mind. This results in them being haunted by him, being forced to witness his memories, and being unable to get rid of him. That struggle is the focus of the entire main story, which means players will be seeing a lot of Reeves throughout their journey. While it may be fun for them to have their own personal John Wick, some may not enjoy his performance very much.
Many ofReeves' lines inCP 2077may feel a bit overacted, over-edited, or overly read. The things he says just do not feel natural sometimes, even if they are in line with how the character may act. Either that was due to his voice performance, or the script was a bit rough around the edges. Whatever the case may be, some players may find him a bit annoying after a while. And while he has a few great moments within the story, the majority of his lines may come off a bit bland or lacking.
Once players start the Phantom Liberty DLC and finish the introductory mission, they will head out into Dogtown to meetIdris Elba’s Solomon Reed. He serves as one of the primary characters of this story and will serve as the players' guide of sorts through Dogtown. Since players spend a lot of time with him, they will hear a lot from Elba. While Elba may go for a vastly different type of character, his voice acting feels a bit stronger than Reeves'.
Solomon Reed seems to be a much quieter and calmer character when compared to Johnny Silverhand. As such, Elba’s performance sounds a bit more laid back even if the character is far from it. He just comes off a bit more natural and makes it seem like Elba would be perfect fora James Bond-like character, so hopefully he gets the chance one day. Some of the dialogue may still be a bit off, however, Elba seems to make up for it with his enjoyable performance.
Casting movie actors as video game characters is always a risky endeavor, as seen withMegan Fox’s performance inMortal Kombat 1. Just because they are good on-screen does not always mean they will be able to deliver a similar performance with voice acting. And even though both actors are fun to be around, it feels like Elba may be able to pull it off a bit better than Reeves. However, some players may disagree, and the community will likely be arguing about it for years to come.
Cyberpunk 2077:Phantom Libertyis available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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