Alien: Romulus Improves Ian Holm's CGI for Home Release, Fans Remain Unimpressed

*Alien: Romulus* has captivated both critics and fans, achieving significant box office success and paving the way for a sequel. However, the film faced widespread criticism for one particular aspect: the CGI portrayal of Ian Holm, who played the iconic android Ash in Ridley Scott's original *Alien*. Holm's posthumous return in *Alien: Romulus* through CGI was met with backlash due to its distracting and unrealistic appearance, leading some fans to create edits that removed his character entirely.

Director Fede Alvarez acknowledged the issue in an interview with Empire, 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.” In response, Alvarez committed to improving the CGI for the home release of *Alien: Romulus*, saying, “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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The home release version of *Alien: Romulus* incorporates more practical puppet work to enhance the portrayal of Ian Holm, moving away from the criticized CGI. Despite these efforts, fans remain divided on the effectiveness of the changes. Some, like Kwtwo1983 on Reddit, noted, “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 remarked, “Still such a needless and distracting part of the movie…,” while Worried_Bowl_9489 commented, “Both look bad and one is a bit darker lol.”

The comparison between the theatrical and home release versions shows a shift towards showcasing more of the practical puppet work, making the CGI less prominent. Yet, some fans, such as TheUrPigeon, remain critical, 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 controversy, *Alien: Romulus* has been a significant success for the franchise, grossing an impressive $350 million globally upon its summer release. This success has led 20th Century Studios to announce plans for *Alien: Romulus 2*, which would continue the story of the first movie, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.