*Alien: Romulus* has been a resounding success, both critically and commercially, amassing an impressive $350 million at the global box office and sparking interest in a sequel. However, the film's use of CGI to bring back the late Ian Holm, who played the iconic android Ash in the original *Alien*, has been a point of contention among fans and critics alike. The CGI depiction of Holm in *Alien: Romulus* was widely criticized for being unconvincing and distracting, leading some fans to create edits that remove his character entirely.

Director Fede Alvarez acknowledged the backlash in an interview with Empire, admitting that time constraints during post-production led to subpar CGI effects. "We just ran out of time in post-production to get it right. I wasn’t 100% 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," he stated. In response, Alvarez ensured that the CGI was reworked for the home release, emphasizing a shift towards more practical puppet work. "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," he insisted.

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Despite these efforts, fan reactions to the revamped Ian Holm CGI have been mixed. While some acknowledge a slight improvement, many still find the portrayal distracting and question the necessity of Holm's return. On platforms like Reddit, fans have expressed their thoughts openly. "Better, but still awfully uncanny… and for no sound reason," remarked Kwtwo1983. Thelastcupoftea added, "Should’ve messed his face up much more. It looked awful in theaters and it looked awful when I rewatched it on Blu-ray." Smug_amoeba commented, "Still such a needless and distracting part of the movie…" and Worried_Bowl_9489 noted, "Both look bad and one is a bit darker lol."

The comparison between the theatrical and home releases shows that the latter focuses more on the practical puppet elements mentioned by Alvarez, reducing the prominence of the CGI face. However, the sentiment among fans remains largely critical. TheUrPigeon summed it up: "Let's be real, it's still awful and garish to resurrect a dead man so needlessly. They can only improve upon it so much because the initial effort was so poor."

Despite the CGI controversy, *Alien: Romulus* has successfully reinvigorated the franchise, leading 20th Century Studios to announce plans for *Alien: Romulus 2* in October. The sequel aims to continue the story from the first film, with Alvarez potentially returning to direct.