Alien: Romulus ‘fixes’ controversial CGI of Ian Holm after fans slammed choice
After causing all kinds of controversy in 2024, Alien: Romulus appears to have ‘fixed’ its most contentious feature for its home media release.
The sci-fi horror film, directed by Fede Alvarez, was the ninth film in the Alien franchise and was a big box office hit upon release.
With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 79%, it became the best-rated Alien film of the 21st century and was celebrated for its striking visuals and claustrophobic atmosphere.
However, some fans took issue with the use of CGI to replace actor Sir Ian Holm – he played humanoid robot Ash in the original Alien film in 1979 and died in 2020, aged 88.
Fans were shocked to discover that new character Rook, another android, was given Sir Ian’s face – admittedly with the permission of Sir Ian’s estate.
While viewers debated over the ethics of the decision, a considerable amount of criticism took aim at the poor quality of the CGI job done on Rook’s face.
Even director Fede agreed, telling Empire: ‘We just ran out of time in post-production to get it right. I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with some of the shots, where you could feel a bit more the CG intervention.’
He then confessed to the long-running film magazine that he ‘doesn’t blame’ the longtime Alien fans who reacted negatively to the choice.
And it seems the criticism has been taken on board for the home release of Alien: Romulus, which was released on Blu-ray in the UK late last year.
Fede explained: ‘We made it better. 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.’
Sir Ian died of complications related to Parkinson’s disease in 2020, with the news confirmed in a statement from his agent Alex Irwin.
Alex said: ‘It is with great sadness we can confirm that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88. He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer. His illness was Parkinson’s related.’
As well as his work in the Alien film franchise, Sir Ian became well known to later generations for his portrayal of Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings franchise.
An actor of stage and screen, Sir Ian was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, winning two Baftas and one Tony during his career.
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 for services to drama, after appearing in dozens of productions across a career that spanned seven decades.
Sir Ian made his stage debut in 1954 and won several awards for his work in tours of William Shakespeare’s plays, such Othello, King Lear, Henry V, Twelfth Night, and Romeo and Juliet.
His final role on the big screen while still alive was a cameo appearance in The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, in 2014.
Alien: Romulus ‘fixes’ controversial CGI of Ian Holm after fans slammed choice