''Alienator'' is a 1990

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstell ...

directed by

Fred Olen Ray Fred Olen Ray (born September 10, 1954) is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-budget feature films in many genres, including horror, science fiction, action/adventure, erotic thrillers, crime d ...

, produced by

Jeffrey C. Hogue Charles Atlas (born Angelo Siciliano; October 30, 1892 – December 24, 1972) was an Italian-born American bodybuilder best remembered as the developer of a bodybuilding method and its associated exercise program which spawned a landmark advert ...

, and starring

Jan-Michael Vincent Jan-Michael Vincent (July 15, 1944 – February 10, 2019) was an American actor known for portraying helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke in the TV series ''Airwolf'' (1984–1987) and the protagonist, Matt Johnson, in the 1978 film ''Big W ...

. The film was described by

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of f ...

and confirmed by Fred Olen Ray to be a "semi-

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sa ...

" of the 1957 film ''

The Astounding She-Monster ''The Astounding She-Monster'' is a 1958Warren, Bill (1986). "Keep Watching The Skies Volume 2". McFarland & Co., Inc. . Page 731 science fiction horror film starring Robert Clarke and directed, co-written and produced by Ronnie Ashcroft for Hol ...

''.

Robert Clarke Robert Irby Clarke (June 1, 1920 – June 11, 2005) was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s. Early life Clarke was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He decided at an early age that h ...

, who starred in that film, also appears in ''Alienator''.

Plot

Kol, an alien criminal, escapes from a spaceship into the woods of an American suburb. The commander of the spaceship dispatches "the Alienator"—a deadly

gynoid A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Name A gyno ...

, to capture Kol. She relentlessly pursues Kol and a group of teenagers whom he meets up with.

Cast

as Commander *

John Phillip Law John Phillip Law (September 7, 1937 – May 13, 2008) was an American film actor. Following a breakthrough role as a Russian sailor in ''The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming'' (1966), Law became best known for his roles as gu ...

as Ward Armstrong *

Ross Hagen Ross Hagen (born Leland Lando Lilly; May 21, 1938 – May 7, 2011) was an American voice actor, actor, director, screenwriter and producer whose television acting credits included ''Daktari''. His film credits included '' The Hellcats'' in 1967 ...

as Kol *

Teagan Clive Teagan Clive (born c. 1955) is an American writer, bodybuilder and actress. She has appeared in various roles in movies and on television. Clive writes articles for periodicals, including ''Iron Man Magazine'' and the Weider magazine '' Muscl ...

as Alienator *

Dyana Ortelli Dhyana may refer to: Meditative practices in Indian religions * Dhyana in Buddhism (Pāli: ''jhāna'') * Dhyana in Hinduism * Jain Dhyāna, see Jain meditation Other *''Dhyana'', a work by British composer John Tavener (1944-2013) * ''Dhyan ...

as Orrie *

Jesse Dabson Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * Jesse (album) ...

as Benny *

Dawn Wildsmith Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc h ...

as Caroline * P. J. Soles as Tara *

as Lund * Richard Wiley as Rick *

Leo Gordon Leo Vincent Gordon (December 2, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American character actor and screenwriter. During more than 40 years in film and television he was most frequently cast as a supporting actor playing brutish bad guys but o ...

as Col. Coburn * Robert Quarry as Doc Burnside *

Fox Harris Fox Harris (May 3, 1936 – December 27, 1988) was an American actor known for such films as '' Repo Man'', ''Sid and Nancy'', '' Straight to Hell'', '' Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers'', '' The Underachievers'' and ''Dr. Caligari''. Harris worked f ...

as Burt *

Hoke Howell Hoke is a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Brady Hoke (born 1958), American football coach, formerly head coach at the University of Michigan * Chris Hoke (born 1976), American retired National Football L ...

as Harley * Jay Richardson as Prison sergeant major * Dan Golden as Electrocuted prisoner *

Joseph Pilato Joseph Pilato (March 16, 1949 – March 24, 2019) was an American film and voice actor. He was perhaps best known for his performance as Captain Rhodes in the 1985 film ''Day of the Dead (1985 film), Day of the Dead''. Early life He was born in ...

as Tech #2

Release

''Alienator'' was originally set for release between May and August in 1989. Prism Entertainment announced in November 1989 to release the film along with ''Time Troopers'' in late December. Prism later released the film on February 8, 1990. On March 19, 2013, the film was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

as part of a two-disc "Action-Packed Movie Marathon" set, which contains a total of four films. On June 13, 2017, the film was released on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of s ...

Scream Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

, featuring a commentary track by director Fred Olen Ray.

Reception

From contemporary reviews, "Lor." of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reviewed the AIP video cassette on November 18, 1989. "Lor." declared the film to be a "tongue-in cheek sci-fi thriller geared towards home video fans with a soft spot for the old stars and old-fashioned serials." "Lor." noted the film "suffers from a weak script" that gave Jan-Michael Vincent and John Phillip Law little to do while P.J. Soles is "stuck in a rather goofy costume as an outer space technician".

References

Sources

External links

* * {{Fred Olen Ray 1990 films 1990 action thriller films 1990 independent films 1990s science fiction action films American independent films American science fiction action films American action thriller films Android (robot) films Films directed by Fred Olen Ray 1990s English-language films 1990s American films