Why ‘Alien: Romulus’ Shouldn’t Win Best Visual Effects at This Year’s Oscars

by

This year’s Oscar nominations are similar to many past years, offering a blend of disappointments (Challengers was entirely overlooked) and delightful surprises (it seems Academy voters finally watched The Apprentice). Your response might depend on your individual preferences and the amount of interest you have in awards during these challenging times. However, one nomination stands out as particularly questionable. The visually impressive Alien: Romulus, a solid addition to the Alien series, was nominated for Best Visual Effects – a category it arguably didn’t need recognition in.

It’s likely you’re familiar with the direction this discussion is taking. While it’s important to note that Alien: Romulus isn’t lacking in terms of visual effects, it strikes a balance between Ridley Scott’s original Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens, two films I hold in high regard. Fede Álvarez’s film leans more towards the style of Scott’s 1979 classic, and thoughtfully employs practical effects – something I wish Scott had used more in his prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, movies that I support wholeheartedly despite some inconsistent digital effects that seem out of place with the narrative themes Scott is trying to convey.

In his film “Romulus“, Álvarez reproduces a similar error, where Ian Holm’s character, Rook, is portrayed as an antagonistic android – unlike the role of Ash, the antagonistic android he played in the 1979 movie “Alien“. By employing digital resurrection techniques with AI, Holm’s appearance is disconcerting at best. However, leaving aside the debatable morality of such a CGI remake of “Weekend at Bernie’s“, the final product is downright terrifying to look at. It simply looks terrible. The controversial ADR dialogue in “Madame Web” pales in comparison to the mismatch between Rook’s speech and his facial expressions and movements, making for a frustratingly distracting experience. Álvarez’s use of practical effects and the film’s impressive production design, such as the vintage hauler with an ’80s Mazda-like interior, only add to the puzzling nature of The Rook Situation.

The animatronic Rook for the movie ‘Romulus’ was more convincing than the final version, which incorporated both animatronics and CGI. Álvarez adjusted the Rook scenes for the digital release of ‘Alien: Romulus’, but the improvement is minor. Interestingly, there wasn’t a need to make the android look like Holm, as there are numerous androids in the ‘Alien’ universe, including a new one in ‘Romulus’. If Álvarez aimed to pay tribute to a previous ‘Alien’ film, he could have cast Michael Fassbender or Winona Ryder, both of whom have significant nostalgic value despite ‘Alien: Resurrection’ being a controversial installment.

I express these thoughts, being a genuine admirer of Romulus, despite the poor and questionable digital magic employed by Ian Holm. It’s an outstanding follow-up that continues to tug at the same themes as Scott’s films. If it brings us any step closer to another Covenant sequel, I am willing to overlook any flaws it may have.

There Were Much Better and More Impressive Visual Effects in 2024

In the realm of Best Visual Effects nominations, ‘Romulus’ found itself among some intriguing company – a Robbie Williams biopic starring a monkey (‘Better Man’), ‘Dune: Part Two’, ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’, and ‘Wicked’. It’s noteworthy that nearly half of these nominees showcase digital primates, an area where it seems we have truly excelled. Surprisingly, ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’, like ‘Romulus’, ‘Emilia Pérez’, and ‘The Brutalist’, has faced criticism for employing AI in its visual effects process. However, while ‘Furiosa’ may not reach the same visual or narrative heights as ‘Fury Road’, it offers more compelling VFX sequences than ‘Alien: Romulus’, despite its scenes of floating Xenomorph blood and gore in space.

Additionally absent from the nominees is Alex Garland’s “Civil War”, a movie that boasts the kind of flawless and subtly employed visual effects that deserve more recognition. The film’s transformation of Washington, D.C. into a war-torn city (a topic we won’t delve into here) may not be as flashy as creating a world inhabited by apes, but it’s an impressive feat that adds to the gritty realism of Garland’s production.

It’s worth noting that The Substance, a film that has garnered multiple nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Director, was surprisingly overlooked in the Best Visual Effects category. Despite its recognition for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, it seems Coralie Fargeat’s remarkable practical effects were not fully appreciated. One might wonder if The Substance truly required another Oscar nomination – after all, is an Oscar nomination essential for anyone besides Amy Adams? Nonetheless, the visual effects in The Substance merited recognition due to the team’s exceptional ability to blend practical and digital effects seamlessly. This was an area where Alien: Romulus fell short – the digital effects were almost unnoticeable and served only to enhance the practical ones.

It’s puzzling why studios and filmmakers persistently rely on digital effects over practical ones, despite the latter being more challenging and time-consuming, usually yielding better results. Perhaps it’s not so surprising in an industry that often disregards what audiences truly desire, often to its own disadvantage.

Alien: Romulus is currently available to stream on Hulu.

Read More

2025-01-23 23:32