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After scaring up more than $350 million at the global box office and landing the Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes critics’ approval score of 79%, Alien: Romulus helped roar fresh life back into the dilapidated franchise. Serving as a chapter in between Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, Alien, and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens, the Fede Alvarez-helmed movie was a standalone piece that featured an all-new cast - well, almost. While Sigourney Weaver was nowhere to be found, instead passing the baton of final girl onto Cailee Spaeny, a familiar face did, in fact, pop up. That would be the late Ian Holm, who appeared in the movie that started it all as Ash - the android who served as a secondary antagonist, giving Weaver’s Ellen Ripley a run for her money. In the new film, Holm’s likeness was used for a bot that had the same face as Ash but was a different android known as Rook. There was just one problem - the CGI used in Romulus really cheesed up the character’s appearance.
There was an overflowing amount of things to like about Alvarez’s offering to the franchise, but most audiences were in agreement that Rook’s heavy CGI pulled them out of the sci-fi horror universe. Recognizing the problem and agreeing with fans, Alvarez recently told Empire that the movie’s home release will feature a new and improved version of Rook that he’s certain they’ll be much happier with. Explaining what went wrong in the first place, the Evil Dead (2013) helmer said,
“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 the CG intervention. So, for people that react negatively, I don’t blame them.”
How Movie Magic Turned Rook Into a Real(ish) Boy
One of the specific pieces of the puzzle that makes Alien: Romulus stand out as a modern sci-fi horror classic was the heavy use of practical effects. When tackling the Rook problem, Alvarez said that it was done through “a mix of techniques,” with the creative team thrilled with the final outcome. Sharing what fans can expect, 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… [Animatronic puppeteer] 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.”
Alien: Romulus is now available for purchase.
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In Alien: Romulus, a crew of space explorers lands on a distant, uncharted planet, only to uncover a horrifying secret lurking beneath the surface. As they delve deeper into the alien environment, they encounter deadly creatures and ancient ruins that hint at a terrifying history. The team's survival becomes a desperate battle against the relentless xenomorphs, forcing them to rely on their wits and technology to escape the nightmarish world.
Release Date August 16, 2024
Director Fede Alvarez
Runtime 119 Minutes
Character(s) Rain , Andy , Tyler , Kay , Bjorn , Navarro , WY Officer , 10-Year-Old Punk #1 , 10-Year-Old Punk #2 , 10-Year-Old Punk #3 , Offspring , Xenomorph , MU/TH/UR (voice) , Rook (Facial and Vocal Performance)
Writers Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O'Bannon , Ronald Shusett
Studio(s) Scott Free Productions , 20th Century
Distributor(s) 20th Century
Franchise(s) Alien
English (US) ·