‘Alien: Romulus’ Fixes Controversial CGI for Home Release, Director Promises: ‘It’s So Much Better'”

Director Fede Alvarez recently shared with ‘Empire Magazine’ that the digital recreation of the late actor Ian Holm, who portrayed the android Rook, was improved after the film’s theatrical release.

In ‘Alien: Romulus,’ Rook is a disembodied head from the same model of android as Holm’s character, Ash, from the original 1979 ‘Alien’ film. Since Holm passed away in 2020, the filmmakers got permission from his estate to use his likeness for this new android character.

The movie received various criticisms, with one of the main complaints being about the Rook character, especially the use of CGI. Many viewers found the digital effects less than convincing. Alvarez explained that, due to time constraints during post-production, the team wasn’t able to perfect the CGI in time for the movie’s theatrical release.

“I wasn’t 100 percent happy with some of the shots, where you could feel a bit more the CG intervention,” Alvarez said. “So, for people who reacted negatively, I don’t blame them.”

However, with the home entertainment release, the filmmakers took the opportunity to improve the CGI. Alvarez convinced the studio to invest extra resources to allow the visual effects teams more time to fix the issues. He assured fans that the changes made the film’s visual effects much better.

We made it better for the [home video] 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.

[Animatronic puppeteer] Shane Mahan actually did this animatronic of Ian Holm based on a head cast from Lord Of The Rings, and that was the only one in existence. What we did [for the home entertainment version] was revert a lot more to the puppet. It’s way better.”

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“It’s so much better,” Alvarez added, emphasizing how much improved the final version now looks. So, if you’re watching ‘Alien: Romulus’ at home, you might notice a significant difference in the Rook character’s appearance.

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