Alien: Romulus 'Fixed' Terrible Ian Holm CGI for Home Release but Fans Still Think It’s Pretty Bad

Alien: Romulus, a critical and box office success, spawned a sequel, yet one element drew universal criticism: the CGI portrayal of Ian Holm. Holm, famed for his role as Ash in Ridley Scott's Alien, controversially returned via CGI in this "interquel," resulting in distracting and unrealistic visuals that prompted a popular fan edit removing his character entirely.

Director Fede Alvarez addressed the issue, admitting time constraints in post-production hindered perfecting the CGI. He acknowledged fan dissatisfaction, 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.”

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For the home release, however, Alvarez implemented improvements. He secured additional funding to refine the CGI, shifting towards a greater reliance on puppetry. While this resulted in a slightly improved visual, many fans still find the portrayal distracting, with some questioning the necessity of Holm's inclusion altogether.

Alien Romulus - Rook CGI Updates BluRay vs Digital
by u/Davidedby in r/LV426

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Reddit discussions reveal mixed reactions. Comments range from "Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason," to criticisms of the initial CGI's poor quality. The consensus points to a marginal improvement, but the overall effect remains a point of contention. The home release utilizes tighter shots, minimizing the prominence of the CGI face, leveraging the practical puppetry more effectively.

Despite the lingering criticism, Alien: Romulus's $350 million global box office success and the announcement of a potential sequel, Alien: Romulus 2, with Alvarez potentially returning, demonstrate the franchise's continued vitality.