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Comment on About THAT one obviously bad part in Alien Romulus [SPOILERS]

CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

I could mostly tell which shots were the puppet and which were CG, and the cigarette was jarring. If this were a short scene or cameo, it would have been fine. But he turns into a major character, and it’s a major failing of the director to not have the effects nailed down when it’s so central to the film.

There’s also no reason at all that it had to be Ian Holm, other than misguided continuity porn. Him being the same model as Ash has zero bearing whatsoever on either this story or the lore as a whole.

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maegul@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

There’s also no reason at all that it had to be Ian Holm, other than misguided continuity porn. Him being the same model as Ash has zero bearing whatsoever on either this story or the lore as a whole.

I don’t think this is true. It connects what’s happening on Romulus/Remus station with the Nostromo and heavily implies that Ash was always on the Nostromo because it was always intended to rendezvous with the planet/moon (LV-426) and that the Ash model was in some way ideal for or dedicated to the xeno/goo research program.

I can’t recall the exact details, but from Rook’s info-dump we know he is aware of the events in Prometheus to some extent, in which case it makes sense that WY were aware of something valuable being out there. It’s explicit in Alien that Ash was added to the crew last minute and so it’s clearly implied that his ulterior motives originated from before the launch of the Nostromo. That Rook is the same model adds weight to this.

It also kinda widens the range of things happening simultaneously in the alien universe in a relatively organic fashion. David (prometheus) could still be out there or his ship in some way, and Rain is now out there, and they both have the black-goo, plus the planet in Engineer planet in Covenant, the planet in Prometheus, the surviving Queen from Aliens (?) and maybe the ship from LV-426 survives the nuclear blast to some extent … all within decent time-proximity that some creative license could easily leverage.

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- CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I mean I get the supposed justification for it, but all of those things you talk about are the very definition of continuity porn. All that could have been achieved just as well with another android model referencing Ash and his mission by name, or by a version of the Ash model that was more physically damaged to the point where it pushed him past the uncanny valley and onto a more unsettling peak. Imagine if his face had been acidified and we were seeing a sort of Mason Verger version of him instead, and when Andy uploads his implant, he takes on the mannerisms of Ian Holm’s Ash, as if he were possessed. Lean into the horror of it more.
  
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  - maegul@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Yea I agree, a simpler approach could have been taken. Though I don’t think any of the film’s fan service was intended to be subtle.
    
    I personally liked the appearance of an Ash type synth. I think it adds weight to the sense of synchronicity of Romulus and Alien 1. Shame about the execution of it and the focus they put on it, of course.
    
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CaliforniaSober@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Totally agree. The parts where the model was shadowed looked okay but then BOOM cg shots where the mouth kinda floats in the head.

And ultimately you’re right! …but I’m still conflicted. It did not need to be Ash. That was just BS fan service… BUT having the same android does cement a through line, a type of connective tissue that communicates how weyland-yutani have had a constant eye on this species the whole time. Basically visual shorthand to say that since Alien 1 the corp has had eyeballs.

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