Alien: Romulus successfully brought the eerie creature from space back to the big screen. Seven years after Ridley Scott’s last Alien film, Fede Álvarez took over the directing reins and gave us a claustrophobic nightmare like no other. However, there was also a major point of criticism.
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The big cameo in Alien: Romulus has been reworked
The new Alien film brings back an actor from the original, even though he passed away several years ago: Ian Holm. In 1979, Holm played the android Ash. In Alien: Romulus he was brought back using, among other things, visual effects, archive footage and a puppet double – as Android Rook.
This “return” has been discussed on numerous levels. From ethical questions to the technical implementation, Alien: Romulus had to take a lot of criticism. Álvarez has now responded directly to one thing. For the home theater release, the CGI in the Rook scenes has been improved, the director reveals to Empire.
But how did it get to the point where a version of the film was released that apparently even Álvarez didn’t like?
The director explains:
We had in post-production [von Alien: Romulus] simply no more time to do everything right. I wasn’t 100 percent happy with some of the shots where you could feel the CGI interventions a little more. I can certainly understand the people who reacted negatively to it.
This required additional resources:
We have [Rook] repaired. We have him improved for the current home theater version. I convinced the studio that we needed to spend the money and make sure we gave the companies involved in the development the time they needed to finish it and do it right. It’s so much better.
In addition, the new version of Alien: Romulus will make more use of the animatronic Rook doll. This was created based on a head print from the Lord of the Rings films, in which Holm was seen as Bilbo Baggins.
Sci-fi horror streaming: Alien: Romulus is coming to Disney+
If you want to check out the remastered Rook in Alien: Romulus, you can do so on Disney+ in just a few days. On January 15, 2025 the sci-fi horror finally comes to streaming subscriptions. The film is also available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K disc as well as as a stream with various purchase and rental options.