"Alien: Romulus CGI Improved for Home Release, Fans Remain Unimpressed"

The movie *Alien: Romulus* was a smashing success with both critics and fans alike, raking in an impressive $350 million at the global box office. This success has paved the way for a sequel, *Alien: Romulus 2*, set to continue the story from the first film. However, one aspect of the original movie received widespread criticism: the CGI used to bring back the late Ian Holm, who played the iconic android Ash in Ridley Scott's *Alien*. Holm's CGI appearance in *Alien: Romulus* was met with disapproval from moviegoers, who found it distracting and unrealistic. This led to a popular fan-edit that removed Holm's character entirely from the narrative.

Director Fede Alvarez acknowledged the criticism and took steps to improve the CGI for the home release. In an interview with Empire, he admitted, "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." For the home release, Alvarez insisted on fixing the CGI, 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 home release version of *Alien: Romulus* leans more into practical puppet work than CGI for Ian Holm's character. However, despite these efforts, fans remain divided on the improvements. While some acknowledge a slight enhancement, many still find Holm's appearance distracting and question the necessity of his return. On Reddit, user Kwtwo1983 commented, "Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason." Thelastcupoftea added, "Should’ve messed his face up much more," while Smug_amoeba noted, "Still such a needless and distracting part of the movie…" Worried_Bowl_9489 remarked, "Both look bad and one is a bit darker lol."

The comparison between the theatrical and home release versions shows that the latter pulls the shot of Ian Holm to highlight more of the practical puppet work, making the CGI face less prominent. TheUrPigeon commented, "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 CGI controversy, *Alien: Romulus* successfully revitalized the franchise upon its debut this past summer. In October, 20th Century Studios announced they were developing *Alien: Romulus 2*, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.

The Alien Movies in Chronological Order

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