*Alien: Romulus* has been a resounding success, captivating both critics and fans alike, and raking in an impressive $350 million at the global box office. This success has paved the way for a sequel, *Alien: Romulus 2*, with director Fede Alvarez potentially at the helm to continue the thrilling narrative. However, one aspect of the film received widespread criticism: the CGI used to bring back the late Ian Holm, who played the iconic android Ash in the original *Alien* movie. The CGI portrayal of Holm in *Alien: Romulus* was panned for its unrealistic and distracting nature, leading fans to create edits that removed his character entirely.
In response to the backlash, Alvarez took steps to improve the CGI for the home release. He admitted in an interview with Empire that time constraints during post-production led to the initial issues, stating, "We just ran out of time in post-production to get it right. I wasn’t 100% happy with some of the shots, where you could feel a bit more the CG intervention. So, for people that react negatively, I don’t blame them." For the home release, Alvarez insisted on revisiting the CGI, saying, "We fixed it. We made it better for the release right now. I convinced the studio we need to spend the money and make sure we give the companies that were involved in making it the proper time to finish it and do it right. It’s so much better."
The Alien Movies in Chronological Order
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For the home release, the approach shifted more towards practical puppet work rather than relying solely on CGI. Despite these efforts, fans remain divided on the results. Many acknowledge a slight improvement, but still find Holm's appearance distracting. On Reddit, fans shared their thoughts: "Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason," said Kwtwo1983. "Should’ve messed his face up much more," added thelastcupoftea. "It looked awful in theaters and it looked awful when I rewatched it on Blu-ray." "Still such a needless and distracting part of the movie…" commented Smug_amoeba. "Both look bad and one is a bit darker lol," said Worried_Bowl_9489.
The comparison between the theatrical release and the home release shows that the latter pulls back the shot to reveal more of the practical puppet, with less emphasis on the CGI face. However, some fans feel the effort to bring back Holm was unnecessary. "Let's be real, it's still awful and garish to resurrect a dead man so needlessly," TheUrPigeon commented. "They can only improve upon it so much because the initial effort was so poor."
Despite the CGI controversy, *Alien: Romulus* has successfully revitalized the franchise, and 20th Century Studios has announced plans for *Alien: Romulus 2* to continue the story, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.
