Alien: Romulus, a critical and commercial success, has already spurred a sequel. However, one aspect universally criticized was 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 the Alien: Romulus "interquel" was widely deemed distracting and unrealistic, prompting a popular fan edit to remove his character entirely.
Director Fede Alvarez addressed the criticism, acknowledging time constraints during post-production hindered the CGI's quality. He stated to Empire magazine, "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, Alvarez implemented improvements, stating, “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.” The revised version utilizes more practical puppetry than CGI.
Despite these improvements, fan reactions remain mixed. While some acknowledge slight enhancements, many still find Holm's appearance distracting, questioning the necessity of his inclusion. Reddit discussions highlight this ongoing debate. Comments range from "Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason" to "Let's be real, it's still awful and garish to resurrect a dead man so needlessly."
Despite the CGI controversy, Alien: Romulus achieved significant box office success, grossing $350 million globally. A sequel, Alien: Romulus 2, is currently under consideration by 20th Century Studios, with Alvarez potentially returning to direct.
