The Visual Effects of Alien Romulus by Wētā FX

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Wētā FX - For the Oscar nominated film Alien: Romulus, our artists pursued the practical aesthetic and atmosphere of the original Alien films and subtly enhanced the Offspring creature with touches of CG. For the destruction of the Romulus space station, trillions of individual assets, volumetrics and geometry were used to grind the rings into the planet, and for the mayhem when the Xenomorphs attack, over 100 active zero gravity acid blood simulations were used within a single shot.

The Virtual Cinematography of Alien: Romulus is evident in almost every scene Wētā FX worked on – from swirling acid blood in zero G, to the claustrophobic viewport of a space helmet, the placement and motion of our cameras became paramount. The filmmakers wanted the feel of the film to celebrate the first films in the franchise.

Keeping Alien Romulus looking and, more importantly, feeling like the original Alien movie, merging the significant practical effects from the plates with extensive CG environments made for an epic Compositing challenge.

As Romulus slowly descends into the rings of the planet, it gets ripped to shreds by the icy debris and ground down until nothing remains. Zero gravity acid Xenomorph blood and a rapid decompression event – what more could an FX artist wish for.