Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings, Brazil) has of course been part of the Alien franchise since 1979. The actor can be seen again in Alien: Romulus – even though he died four years ago. Image source: Disney/20th Century Fox
Thanks to Alien: Romulus, the Xenomorph is back on the big screen and for the most part, the return of the sci-fi horror franchise has been well received. However, there is at least one major criticism that most viewers and fans agree on: There was no need to resurrect a dead actor.
Alien: Romulus revives Ian Holm with the help of CGI
Who is it about? Alien: Romulus features Ian Holm, or rather a digital image of the actor who died in 2020. Holm, of course, played the android Ash in the very first Alien in 1979. In Romulus, his appearance is used for another model called Rook.
Why does Alien: Romulus bring back Ian Holm as an android? Director Fede Alvarez explains this in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
In context [der Alien-Filme] There is a manageable num ber of androids and that is why some of them keep coming back. So we have [über den Film] entertain and Ridley [Scott] and I had the feeling that one of the best had not yet returned: the original model, played by Ian Holm.
We started by […] contacted his widow. She felt that Ian had been given the cold shoulder by Hollywood in the last years of his life and that he would have loved to be a part of more projects after The Hobbit – but that never happened. So she was over the idea of [für Alien: Romulus] to bring back, very excited.
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The official trailer for Alien: Romulus is really not for the faint of heart
How do critics and fans react to Ash Rook?
But the end result is not well received everywhere. Many critics – such as IGN – criticize, among other things, the unconvincing CGI. In addition, it is also questioned why Rook has to look like Ash at all. Because the reunion with the android effectively contributes nothing to the plot and seems to rely solely on fan service.
We have collected some meaningful reactions from viewers for you as follows:
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Alien: Romulus has been in Europe cinemas since August 15, 2024. In its opening weekend alone, the film grossed more than 108 million US dollars worldwide – against a budget of 80 million. At the moment, it looks as if the sci-fi franchise’s return to the cinema will be a complete success.
You can read more about Alien under the links above. After Romulus, the next chapter is already in the starting blocks for 2025. Alien: Earth, the TV series by Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), will follow next year.
Have you seen Alien: Romulus yet and if so, how much did you like the film? What do you think of the CGI revival of Ian Holm? Let us know in the comments!
