Alien: Romulus, a critical and commercial success, has already greenlit a sequel. However, one element drew near-universal criticism: the CGI depiction of Ian Holm.
Holm, who passed away in 2020, famously portrayed the android Ash in Ridley Scott's Alien. His controversial CGI reappearance in Alien: Romulus was widely criticized as distracting and unrealistic, prompting a popular fan edit to completely remove his character.
Director Fede Alvarez addressed the issue, stating in an Empire interview that post-production time constraints hampered the CGI's quality. He acknowledged dissatisfaction with certain shots and understood the negative reactions.
Alien Film Chronological Order
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For the home release, Alvarez implemented improvements, allocating additional resources to refine the CGI, shifting towards a greater reliance on practical puppetry. While some improvement is noted, many viewers still find the result distracting, with ongoing debate about the necessity of Holm's inclusion.
Alien Romulus - Rook CGI Updates BluRay vs Digital
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Reddit discussions highlight mixed reactions. Comments range from "Better, but still awfully uncanny" to criticisms of the decision to resurrect the character using CGI at all. The consensus points to a slightly improved, yet still flawed, result. The home release version utilizes camera angles to minimize the CGI face, showcasing more of the practical puppet.
Despite the criticism, Alien: Romulus's box office success ($350 million globally) has spurred development of a sequel, Alien: Romulus 2, with Alvarez potentially returning to direct.
