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

*Alien: Romulus* has been a resounding success with both critics and fans, raking in an impressive $350 million at the global box office and paving the way for a sequel. Despite its overall acclaim, one aspect of the film drew widespread criticism: the CGI portrayal of Ian Holm, who reprised his role as android Ash from Ridley Scott's iconic sci-fi horror *Alien*. Holm, who passed away in 2020, was brought back via CGI that many viewers found distracting and unrealistic. The backlash was so significant that a popular fan-edit of the film removed Holm's character entirely.

Director Fede Alvarez acknowledged the issue in an interview with Empire, admitting that time constraints during post-production prevented the CGI from being perfected. He stated, "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 to the criticism, Alvarez ensured the CGI was improved for the home release of *Alien: Romulus*. He convinced the studio to invest additional time and resources, shifting the focus towards more practical puppet work rather than relying solely on CGI. Alvarez insisted, "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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Despite the efforts to improve the CGI for the home release, fan reactions remain mixed. While some acknowledge a slight improvement, many still find Holm's appearance distracting. On Reddit, users like Kwtwo1983 commented, "Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason," while thelastcupoftea suggested, "Should’ve messed his face up much more." Smug_amoeba remarked, "Still such a needless and distracting part of the movie…," and Worried_Bowl_9489 noted, "Both look bad and one is a bit darker lol." TheUrPigeon added, "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."

The home release does feature more of the practical puppet work Alvarez mentioned, with less emphasis on the CGI face. However, the consensus among fans is that while the changes are noticeable, they do not fully resolve the issues that marred Holm's portrayal in the theatrical release.

Despite this controversy, *Alien: Romulus* successfully revitalized the franchise upon its debut this past summer. In October, 20th Century Studios announced plans for *Alien: Romulus 2*, which would continue the story from the first film, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.