Fede Alvarez, the director of Alien: Romulus, has revealed that he has fixed the appearance of Rook after backlash about the the character, based on the late Ian Holm.
READ MORE: ‘Alien: Romulus’ review: chest-bursting reboot is as thrilling and scary as the original
In the film, Rook is an android who is the same model as Ash, whom Holm played in Ridley Scott’s original Alien. Initially claiming to help the scavengers trapped aboard the Romulus, he eventually becomes an impediment to their escape.
For the recreation, which was made with the consent of Holm’s estate, a combination of CGI and puppetry was used to achieve the likeness of the actor, who passed away in 2020.
Speaking to Empire recently, Alvarez agreed with criticisms of the scene, saying: “I wasn’t 100 per cent 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”.
Alvarez continued: “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”. This was done, explains, by lessening the influence of CGI on the character “What we did (for the streaming version) was revert a lot more to the puppet” he said. “It’s way better.”
Fascinating… streaming versions of Alien: Romulus have apparently made some tweaks to certain shots of Rook VFX (via Reddit) pic.twitter.com/XMEY6iT7QG
— Alien Theory (@Alien_Theory) January 10, 2025
Alien: Romulus was a box office hit and critically well-received. NME’s five-star review described it being “as thrilling and scary as the original”, while arguing that Rook’s appearance “works well, both technically and narratively”. Fans did not agree, however, posting their displeasure online.
the CGI Ian Holm ruined the entire movie for me. I checked out as soon as it popped up. can’t imagine a way to improve on it other than removing it entirely, which would break the cheap nostalgia fueling the whole thing https://t.co/vfEkP9UJnf
— The tumboy (@TheTumboy) January 10, 2025
every time they cut back to the disgusting CGI Ian Holm in #AlienRomulus pic.twitter.com/daC5c6DNhq
— Avry – Currently Reckoning (@AvryRobinOtt) August 19, 2024
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one fan wrote: “the CGI Ian Holm ruined the entire movie for me. I checked out as soon as it popped up”.
Another called the character’s look “disgusting”, while one said the idea was flawed despite the fixes. “Doesn’t matter how many times they correct the motion or lighting” they posted. “It still looks uncanny and doesn’t resolve the true issue that replicating Ian Holm’s likeness with AI was just a gross decision”.
Doesn’t matter how many times they correct the motion or lighting.
It still looks uncanny and doesn’t resolve the true issue that replicating Ian Holm’s likeness with AI was just a gross decision. https://t.co/9gK8NNTbrB
— Isaiah Cole Torre (@IsaiahCTorre) January 11, 2025
Alien: Romulus comes to the Disney+ streaming service on January 15. It was listed high on NME’s 20 best films of 2024, and precedes a forthcoming TV show titled Alien: Earth.
The post “Disgusting” Ian Holm CGI fixed for ‘Alien: Romulus’ streaming release appeared first on NME.
