As a long-time fan of the Alien franchise, I must say that watching Fede Alvarez’s latest addition, Alien: Romulus, has been quite a rollercoaster ride! It’s always exciting to see how the story unfolds between Ridley Scott’s iconic Alien and James Cameron’s masterful Aliens.
As a die-hard horror movie enthusiast who’s spent countless nights huddled under blankets while watching terrifying flicks, I highly recommend you catch Fede Alvarez’s “Alien: Romulus” in theaters before delving into any spoilers. Trust me, the cinematic experience is worth every penny and will leave you on the edge of your seat! So, don’t wait another minute, grab your popcorn, and head to the movies now to enjoy this masterpiece unfold on the big screen!
In terms of the Alien series timeline, the latest installment titled Alien: Romulus lies between Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking film Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens. This film provides insights into the fate of the Xenomorph expelled into space by Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), and it appears to offer hints about Ripley’s whereabouts during this incident. The movie is currently doing well at the box office, although it’s garnering mixed reviews. Nonetheless, it’s sparking discussions, which is always a positive sign.
One topic that seems to be dividing the fanbase is the “return” of Alien star Ian Holm, who died in 2020 but is brought back through the use of animatronics, CGI and facial capture. Holm played Ash in Alien, an android tasked with retrieving the alien species so it could be studied by the Weyland-Yutani corporation. It’s not Ash that audiences see in Alien: Romulus but rather Rook, another synth who has been half-destroyed by the alien threats in the Romulus ship.
Viewing Ian Holm in the movie “Alien: Romulus” comes as a surprise. Some franchises have revived deceased actors, such as Harold Ramis in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”. However, the tech to truly bring back a passed actor doesn’t exist yet, and there’s ongoing debate about whether it should be done at all. During an interview on TopMob’s official “ReelBlend” podcast, “Alien: Romulus” director Fede Alvarez discussed the efforts taken to recreate Holm’s character, and how Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” helped their team.
Alvarez said to ReelBlend:
In this project, I decided to construct a robot rather than use an actor for the part. The idea of making someone squeeze their body through a table to simulate a robot seemed impractical. So, I thought, ‘If it’s supposed to be a robot, let’s build one.’ Given the technology limitations, having a malfunctioning robot would make sense. Therefore, I was pleased that we could create something imperfect but authentic. Once we had made the decision to forgo an actor, we focused on sculpting the face and creating one. We found a head cast of Ian Holm from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was the only one available from 1999, when he started playing Bilbo. Weta Workshop had it, and this marked the beginning of sculpting his likeness.
2024 might surprise you, Tinseltown – you never know when an Ian Holm’s Bilbo Baggins head cast could be repurposed to re-create Ash from Ridley Scott’s Alien! Keep those props handy!
There’s no doubt that the technology is available to replicate Ian Holm as an android in “Alien: Romulus”. However, the question remains whether it’s ethically sound to do so. Fede Alvarez recognized that such a project was beyond his reach without the consent of Holm’s family, particularly his children. As he stated to ReelBlend:
Initially, I reached out to the late actor’s widow, presented my idea to her, and ensured she discussed it with their children. Since he had recently passed away, I wanted to ensure everyone in the family was comfortable with the concept. Interestingly, my father also passed away in the same year as Ian Holm. Therefore, I understood the sensitivity involved. So, I simply sought their approval before proceeding. Luckily, his widow shared that in his final years, Holm felt a bit neglected by Hollywood. He wasn’t offered many projects, and those he received were uninteresting. If given the chance, he would have jumped at the opportunity to reprise his role in Alien as Ash, a character he adored and for which he held fond memories. Happily, they gave us their blessing to move forward with our plans.
Having the family’s blessing had to mean everything to Fede Alvarez. Inserting Ian Holm into this movie is one of many big swings taken by Alien: Romulus. Hear the director discuss most of them in the full ReelBlend conversation.
As a die-hard gamer, I’m eagerly anticipating the debut of Alien: Romulus on the big screen, going head-to-head with heavyweights like Deadpool and Wolverine. But the real question is, how will it fare against the upcoming movie juggernauts of 2024? Let’s see if this sci-fi thriller can hold its ground!
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2024-08-17 20:37