One major use of AI and CGI has fans upset about ‘Alien: Romulus’

While Alien: Romulus has mostly received positive reviews, some fans have complaints about one particular use of CGI and AI in Fede Alvarez’s movie.

Spoilers ahead for Alien: Romulus.

A major gripe that a section of fans and critics have with the creators of the film is their decision to resurrect the late Ian Holm via CGI and AI and have that version of him play a critical role in Alien: Romulus. The digital recreation of Holm portrays Rook, a villainous android science officer aboard the spaceship. The character is voiced by Daniel Betts, but AI augments his voice to sound more like Holm, and his physical appearance completely resembles the late actor.

To go into detail as to how Alvarez and the technical team were able to create Rook, they created a model of Holm’s body via animatronic body and CGI, which was followed by alteration of Betts’ facial and vocal performance through generative AI and computer modeling, to ensure it matches Holm’s attributes.

However, this decision has been met with a barrage of criticism online, with moviegoers pointing out Rook’s presence in the film as a major buzzkill. Points have also been raised about using a deceased actor’s physical likeness, with some calling it “digital necromancy.” The outrage is only compounded by the fact that Alvarez had been quite vocal about the limited use of CGI in the film, stressing the importance of real sets and realistic portrayals. Alvarez and Ridley Scott have both defended their decision, assuring fans and media that they had the approval of Holm’s widow, Sophie De Stempel.

For context, Holm played Ash, the science officer aboard the Nostromo in Ridley Scott’s 1979 original, Alien. The character seems to be human in the first half of the sci-fi horror classic, but it is later revealed that he is an android, fascinated by the Xenomorph’s genetically advanced features. All Alien films have typically featured an android that ends up playing a critical role in the film, whether positive or negative. In Aliens and Alien 3, it was played by Lance Henriksen, Winona Ryder in Alien: Resurrection, and Michael Fassbender in Alien prequels Prometheus and Covenant.