*Alien: Romulus* has captured the hearts of critics and fans alike, becoming a box office sensation and paving the way for a sequel. However, the film faced significant criticism for its use of CGI to bring back the late Ian Holm, who played the android Ash in Ridley Scott's iconic *Alien*. Holm's CGI appearance in *Alien: Romulus* was widely criticized as distracting and unrealistic, so much so that a popular fan-edit removed his character entirely. This backlash prompted director Fede Alvarez to revisit the CGI work for the movie's home release.
In an interview with Empire, Alvarez acknowledged the rushed nature of the original CGI: “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 and his team focused on enhancing the CGI, leaning more towards practical puppet work. He emphasized, “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.”
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Despite these efforts, fans remain divided on the revised CGI. The home release features more of the practical puppet work mentioned by Alvarez, aiming to reduce the CGI's prominence. However, many fans still find Holm's appearance distracting. On Reddit, user Kwtwo1983 noted, “Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason.” Thelastcupoftea added, “Should’ve messed his face up much more,” while Smug_amoeba commented, “Still such a needless and distracting part of the movie…” Worried_Bowl_9489 observed, “Both look bad and one is a bit darker lol.”
The consensus seems to be that while the home release does show improvements by focusing more on practical effects, the CGI still feels off. TheUrPigeon summed up the sentiment, stating, “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, grossing an impressive $350 million globally upon its summer debut. Its success has led 20th Century Studios to announce plans for *Alien: Romulus 2*, which will continue the story from the first film, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.
