Alien: Romulus, a critical and commercial success, is already slated for a sequel. However, one aspect universally criticized was the CGI depiction of Ian Holm, who famously played Ash in the original Alien. His controversial return via CGI in Romulus was deemed distracting and unrealistic, prompting a popular fan edit to remove his character entirely.

Director Fede Alvarez addressed the criticism, acknowledging time constraints in post-production prevented perfecting the CGI. He stated in an Empire interview that the studio subsequently invested in improvements for the home release.

Alien Film Chronological Order

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Alvarez confirmed the home release features enhanced visual effects, relying more on practical puppetry. However, fan reaction remains mixed. While some note a slight improvement, many still find the portrayal distracting, questioning the necessity of Holm's inclusion.

A Reddit thread (u/Davidedby in LV426) highlights this sentiment: users describe the result as "awfully uncanny," "needless and distracting," and some even suggest more extensive facial alterations would have been preferable. The consensus points to the initial CGI work being fundamentally flawed, limiting the effectiveness of subsequent improvements.

Despite the ongoing debate surrounding Holm's CGI, Alien: Romulus's box office success ($350 million globally) has greenlit a sequel, with Alvarez potentially returning to direct.