The sci-fi horror film *Alien: Romulus* was a resounding success among critics and fans, raking in an impressive $350 million at the global box office. This success has spurred the development of a sequel, *Alien: Romulus 2*, with director Fede Alvarez potentially returning to helm the project. However, one aspect of the film received widespread criticism: the CGI used to bring back the late Ian Holm, who played the android Ash in the original *Alien* film directed by Ridley Scott. Holm's CGI appearance in *Alien: Romulus* was so poorly received that a popular fan-edit completely removed his character from the narrative.

In response to the backlash, Alvarez admitted in an interview with Empire that the CGI was rushed due to time constraints in post-production. He acknowledged the validity of the negative reactions, stating, "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."

The Alien Movies in Chronological Order

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For the home release of *Alien: Romulus*, Alvarez took steps to address the CGI issues. He insisted on spending additional time and resources to improve the visual effects, leaning more into practical puppet work rather than CGI. "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," he stated.

Despite these efforts, fans remain divided on the updated Ian Holm CGI. While some acknowledge a slight improvement, many still find it distracting and question the necessity of Holm's 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. It looked awful in theaters and it looked awful when I rewatched it on Blu-ray." 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."

The comparison between the theatrical and home release versions shows a shift towards more practical effects, with less emphasis on the CGI face. However, some fans, like TheUrPigeon, remain critical, 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 summer debut. The film's success has led 20th Century Studios to announce plans for *Alien: Romulus 2*, which will continue the story of the first movie, with Fede Alvarez potentially returning to direct.