*Alien: Romulus* soared to success with both critics and fans, not to mention its impressive box office haul, which has already paved the way for a sequel. Yet, amidst its triumphs, the film faced significant backlash over one particular aspect: the CGI rendition of Ian Holm. Holm, who passed away in 2020, had previously portrayed the iconic android Ash in Ridley Scott's groundbreaking sci-fi horror, *Alien*. His controversial CGI return in *Alien: Romulus* was met with widespread criticism for appearing distracting and unrealistic, leading to a popular fan-edit that completely removed Holm's character from the narrative.
In response to the criticism, director Fede Alvarez took action to improve the CGI for the home release of *Alien: Romulus*. In an interview with Empire, Alvarez admitted, "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 ensured that the CGI was refined, leaning more on practical puppet work to enhance the visual experience. He stated, "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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Despite these efforts, fans remain divided on the effectiveness of the revised Ian Holm CGI. While some acknowledge a slight improvement, many still find the character distracting and question the necessity of his return. On Reddit, user Kwtwo1983 remarked, "Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason." Thelastcupoftea added, "Should’ve messed his face up much more. It looked awful in theaters and it looked awful when I rewatched it on Blu-ray." Smug_amoeba commented, "Still such a needless and distracting part of the movie…" and Worried_Bowl_9489 noted, "Both look bad and one is a bit darker lol."
The comparison between the theatrical and home release versions reveals a shift towards showcasing more of the practical puppet work, with the CGI face less prominent. However, TheUrPigeon expressed a strong sentiment, saying, "Let's be real, it's still awful and garish to resurrect a dead man so needlessly. They can only improve upon it so much because the initial effort was so poor."
Despite the CGI controversy, *Alien: Romulus* successfully revitalized the franchise upon its summer debut, grossing an impressive $350 million globally. In October, 20th Century Studios announced plans for *Alien: Romulus 2*, which would continue the story of the first film, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.
