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

Alien: Romulus, a critical and commercial success, has already greenlit a sequel. However, one element consistently criticized was the CGI depiction of Ian Holm.

Holm, who passed away in 2020, famously portrayed Ash in Ridley Scott's Alien. His controversial CGI return in Alien: Romulus drew widespread criticism for its distracting and unrealistic appearance. The effect was so poorly received that a popular fan edit entirely removed Holm's character.

Director Fede Alvarez addressed the issue, acknowledging time constraints in post-production led to subpar results. He stated to Empire magazine that the initial CGI was unsatisfactory and that he wasn't fully pleased with certain shots. He subsequently secured additional funding to improve the CGI for the home release.

Alien Film Chronological Order

9 Images

For the home release, Alvarez implemented improvements, shifting the focus from CGI to more practical puppetry. While some improvement is evident, many viewers still find the depiction distracting, with some questioning the necessity of Holm's inclusion in the film.

A Reddit thread (u/Davidedby in LV426) highlights this mixed reaction. Comments range from noting subtle improvements to maintaining strong disapproval of both the original and revised CGI. The consensus is that while less overtly jarring, the effect remains unconvincing.

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

.reddit-embed-wrapper iframe { margin-left: 0 !important; }

Despite the criticism, Alien: Romulus achieved significant box office success, grossing $350 million globally. A sequel, Alien: Romulus 2, is currently in development at 20th Century Studios, with Alvarez potentially returning to direct.