ALIEN: ROMULUS Director Says Ian Holm Android VFX Have Been "Fixed" For Home Release: "We Ran Out Of Time"

ALIEN: ROMULUS Director Says Ian Holm Android VFX Have Been "Fixed" For Home Release: "We Ran Out Of Time"

In a new interview, Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez has admitted that the VFX used to bring the Rook android to life with the late Ian Holm's likeness weren't up to scratch...

By MarkCassidy - Jan 11, 2025 07:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Alien
Source: Via FearHQ

Though Alien: Romulus received a mostly positive response from critics and fans, one aspect of the movie that was met with almost universal backlash was the likeness of a deceased actor being used for a new character via VFX.

When Rain Carradine and her crew arrive on the derelict space station, they learn that the ship's android is still functional despite clearly being in very bad shape after a Xenomorph attack. They plug him in to discover what happened, and we see that the synthetic is the same model as Ash from Ridley Scott's original movie.

The late Ian Holm was "resurrected" (with permission from the actor's estate) to achieve this, but even setting aside the controversy surrounding the practice of "digital necromancy," the effects used to portray the character were... not the best.

Some shots looked okay, but for the majority of Rook's screen-time, his face basically looked like someone using a Snapchat filter.

During a new interview with Empire to mark the movie's home release, director Fede Álvarez admits that he wasn't happy with the finished product.

“We just ran out of time in post-production to get it right. I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with some of the shots, where you could feel a bit more of the CG intervention. So, for people that react negatively, I don’t blame them."

However, Alvarez has assured fans that the home entertainment release of Romulus features a new-and-improved Rook.

“We fixed it,” he confirms. “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.”

The filmmaker went on to explain how an animatronic puppeteer used resources from one of Holm's other projects to assist in the Rook's creation.

"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."

"Not a perfect organism, but despite an overreliance on retreading over old ground, Alien: Romulus does mark a thrilling return to form, and is surely destined to be ranked as the third-best Alien movie," we said in our review of Alien: Romulus.

"The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful Alien franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe."

The film stars Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), David Jonsson (Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Spike Fearn (Aftersun), and Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (Don’t Breathe 2) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

Alien: Romulus is produced by Ridley Scott (Napoleon), who directed the original Alien and produced and directed the series’ entries Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, Michael Pruss (Boston Strangler), and Walter Hill (Alien), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (Charlie’s Angels), Brent O’Connor (Bullet Train), and Tom Moran (Unstoppable) serving as executive producers.

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ALIEN: ROMULUS Director Fede Álvarez Says Planned Sequel Will Take Franchise Into "Uncharted Waters"

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harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 1/11/2025, 7:44 AM
pity they can't fix the rest of the film.
dragon316
dragon316 - 1/11/2025, 9:30 AM
@harryba11zack - reviews rotten tomatoes score say it was good
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 1/11/2025, 9:48 AM
@dragon316 - like OMG I didn't know that, I guess I best change my opinion on that dogshit film in order to save face.
User Comment Image
Blergh
Blergh - 1/11/2025, 10:14 AM
@harryba11zack - I really enjoyed it, more so than Covenant, Prometheus and Resurrection. On par with part 3 IMO.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 1/11/2025, 10:24 AM
@Blergh - I liked the visuals but that was it really, The characters and story was awful.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 1/11/2025, 10:37 AM
@Blergh - If God said I could only pick seven Alien movies to watch for the rest of my life I would pick
Alien
Aliens
Alien 3
Alien: Resurrection
Alien vs. Predator
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Spaceballs
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 1/11/2025, 10:40 AM
@dragon316 - Why make a bare minimum good Alien movie when you can make a pretty good or great Alien movie?

And just because some people claim it's good doesn't mean they actually believe it's good or that it is good.
MotherGooseUPus
MotherGooseUPus - 1/11/2025, 11:18 AM
@Blergh - Agreed. it was on par with Alien3. It COULD of been sooooooo much better but the final 15mins and all the connections to promethus/covenant killed it for me
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 1/11/2025, 12:04 PM
When you hear people say could of, they are actually saying could've, which means could have.

I could have bought Alien: Romulus if it was better.

Could of doesn't make sense.
grif
grif - 1/11/2025, 2:27 PM
@dragon316 - rt is pointless
TwinkleToes
TwinkleToes - 1/11/2025, 2:33 PM
@MakeAmericaGrea - Thank you! Grammar is not that complicated.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/11/2025, 3:42 PM
@harryba11zack - lol my thoughts exactly. What a let down.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/11/2025, 3:43 PM
@Blergh - Covenant buries this film. Prometheus too. And Prometheus is arguably the most stupid Sci fi film ever written.
TCronson
TCronson - 1/11/2025, 3:52 PM
@McMurdo - I'd argue Covenant is even more stupid than Prometheus, it took the dumbest moments of Prometheus and up'd them to eleven.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 1/11/2025, 10:42 PM
@harryba11zack - So, the same as every Alien movie since Prometheshit?
Shmokey20
Shmokey20 - 1/11/2025, 11:39 PM
@harryba11zack - I'm glad you're the minority opinion, that means people still have taste
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 1/12/2025, 6:37 AM
@Shmokey20 - that sounds kinda weird bro, what do you have against minorities?

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LSHF
LSHF - 1/11/2025, 7:48 AM
EXCELLENT!!!

I wish these blockbusters that made millions in profit would do the EXACT SAME THING".

I've been wanting this for years, so it's great to know at least someone in power authorized this.

Thank you!!!
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/11/2025, 8:12 AM
Now they need to cut the bit with Andy saying get away from her you bitch and we'll be all good.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 1/11/2025, 8:49 AM
@MarkCassidy - Agreed. I was like... oh.. oh no....
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 1/11/2025, 8:50 AM
@MarkCassidy - We need a Scrapped Nostalgic Catch-phrase Cut.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/11/2025, 8:55 AM
@JustAWaffle - some of the other callbacks etc I can give a pass because it's just to be expected now, but that was just the most blatant, egregious example of pointless "fan service" (I don't know a single fan who appreciated it) I've ever seen.
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 1/11/2025, 12:13 PM
@MarkCassidy - For sure. It’s a lot like music today. Much of what’s popular has callbacks to previous decades and songs (it’s a long running tradition, but I’d argue is more prevalent today), and franchise IPs are all about tapping into that nostalgia.

But it’d still be nice to have an attempt at originality.
JonAwesome
JonAwesome - 1/11/2025, 5:00 PM
@MarkCassidy - I would be good with them just cutting out the bitch part. The call back makes zero sense here. Just a dramatic “Get away from her” would have been fine.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 1/11/2025, 8:22 AM
I'll be cutting the whole film out of my Alien blu-ray collection.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 1/11/2025, 10:42 AM
Same, fam.

Rewatching the zero gravity scene is what the internet is for.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 1/11/2025, 8:26 AM
Second worst Alien film that's just above Prometheus solely because it had cool facehuggers and a practical Xenomorph that couldn't move so all it could do was just lean against things and hiss.
JobinJ
JobinJ - 1/11/2025, 8:45 AM
@HashTagSwagg - I really liked Prometheus.

I also thought honestly the first Alien is terrible. Truly bad movie. But understand it was good for its time.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 1/11/2025, 8:50 AM
@HashTagSwagg - Prometheus is a solid one. Its more psychological than horror. I was happy with it. One of the best and was actually a little upset we wont be getting a 3rd in that aspect.
TCronson
TCronson - 1/11/2025, 8:58 AM
@HashTagSwagg - no, Prometheus was better, it had much better characters and actors, and actually tried to do something new in the franchise.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 1/11/2025, 9:04 AM
@JobinJ - User Comment Image
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 1/11/2025, 9:08 AM
@TCronson - That's just comparing dog shit to horse shit. Both stank.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 1/11/2025, 10:43 AM
@JobinJ - I'm dying of curiosity.

Why do you think Alien (1979) is terrible?
JobinJ
JobinJ - 1/11/2025, 11:25 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea -

I’ll try and remember the main points.

I thought some of the sequences were just long and drawn out. One I can think of is when the older guy is going to fix the motor or whatever and like a dumbass, he separates from the others and there’s like water and stuff splashing on his face, he’s looking for a cat I think. That just was so long and drawn out and just really took me out of the movie.

A lot of stupid decisions by this supposedly professional crew. Splitting up, chasing cats around. Stuff like that.

The alien costume was cool, but the strange jazz hands acting of the person inside. It was just odd.

The captain going by himself in the tunnels to kill the creature was the stupidest thing anybody’s ever done in a movie.


Somehow, the spaceship when it landed on a small rock with one of the landing gear, somehow it exploded half the ship. Didn’t make any sense for a craft that can travel space and take on immense pressure.

The sequence where the black guy gets killed was just weird. He could’ve shot the alien instead he rushes at it and tries to tackle it or something and then he’s like getting stabbed, but you can’t tell what the hell is going on cause the camera work is so terrible.

And then the aliens like sleeping on her skate pod. What the hell was that? Was it like hibernating or something? It just didn’t make any sense. This thing is vicious and killing people yet. It’s just like laying there helpless on her little escape pod.

I don’t know I know it was ahead of its time and really great for its time. But on review, it’s just not a great movie.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 1/11/2025, 11:51 AM
@JobinJ -
They had to go after the cat because when they were trying to catch the Chestburster with the tracking device, the device was picking up the movements of the cat.

They separate at the beginning because at this point it's just a Chestburster, it's only after they see it fully grown that they realise the kinda threat they are dealing with.

The ship landed and took off during a storm on a (at the time) inhospitable planet, the ship may have been built for space travel but each planet comes with it's own problems, even in Alien Covenant they had a similar situation when trying to get rescued by the people who stayed on the bigger ship.

Parker couldn't torch the alien because Lambert was right next to it, that's why he yells for her to get out of the way but Lambert is frozen in fear.

What was wrong with the Alien sleeping? from it's point of view everyone else was dead at this point besides the cat, it wasn't aware Ripley was in the room with it.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 1/11/2025, 12:08 PM
@JobinJ - the alien looking like it's going "Boo! Gotcha!" to Dallas is kind of ridiculous. Maybe the alien should have pounced on him, and then the shot and scene quickly ends.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/11/2025, 4:08 PM
@JobinJ - you just shat on any credibility you could have ever had saying Alien is truly bad and was good for it's time. Brother, worst take I've seen on this site and I've seen many. It's one of thee single greatest peices of cinema ever made. It's arguably the greatest horror film of all time. We won't ever get another Alien.


Yikes.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/11/2025, 4:09 PM
@HashTagSwagg - maybe the most embarrassing opinion I've ever read on the internet. Like wow.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/11/2025, 4:10 PM
@JobinJ - ah so the entire film went way over your head lol. You lost me at the cat.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/11/2025, 4:13 PM
@HashTagSwagg - @JobinJ buddy. I would tell you to rewatch the film but I don't think it'll help you follow the story and characters any better. The unbelievable irony in you calling the film stupid for all the logical story decisions hashtag just had to explain to you is incredible. You missed everything lol.
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