"Alien: Romulus CGI Improved for Home Release, Fans Still Disappointed"

The highly acclaimed *Alien: Romulus* not only captivated critics and fans but also achieved significant box office success, paving the way for a sequel. However, the film faced universal criticism for its use of CGI to bring back the late Ian Holm, who portrayed the android Ash in Ridley Scott's iconic sci-fi horror *Alien*. Holm's posthumous appearance in *Alien: Romulus* was criticized for being distracting and unrealistic, leading to a popular fan-edit that completely removed his character from the film.

Director Fede Alvarez acknowledged the CGI issues in an interview with Empire, admitting that time constraints in post-production prevented them from perfecting the shots. 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."

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For the home release, Alvarez insisted that they addressed the CGI issues, 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."

The updated home release version of *Alien: Romulus* features more practical puppet work rather than CGI for Holm's character. 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. A comparison between the Blu-ray and digital versions shows that the home release focuses more on the practical effects, reducing the prominence of the CGI face.

On Reddit, fans shared their thoughts on the updated CGI. Kwtwo1983 commented, "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 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."

TheUrPigeon expressed strong sentiments, 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 CGI controversy, *Alien: Romulus* successfully revitalized the franchise upon its release, earning an impressive $350 million at the global box office. In October, 20th Century Studios announced plans for *Alien: Romulus 2*, which will continue the story of the first film, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.