Entertainment
Bizarre And Campy 90s Sci-Fi Thriller Is An R-Rated Cybernetic Jail Break
By Robert Scucci
| Published
1990’s Alienator is one of those sci-fi thrillers that you need to go into with an open mind. The most succinct review for the film can be found on IMDb, simply stating, “It met my low expectations,” and that’s exactly what you should expect from director Fred Olen Ray, who has his name attached to over 200 low-to-medium quality films across his prolific career. In other words, Alienator’s low budget shows on screen more than it doesn’t, but that’s also part of its charm.
In Alienator, you get green lasers that produce sparks when they hit their intended targets. You get a goofy troupe of teens that might as well be Scooby Doo cosplayers. You get a space fugitive named Kol (Ross Hagen), who escapes from an unspecified penal colony planet, running from a bodybuilding bounty hunter named Alienator (Teagan Clive), who’s dressed in a costume that looks like it’s made from spray painted cardboard and strips of leather. You know what else you get with Alienator? Pure, unadulterated B-movie charm that simply cannot be replicated intentionally.
If that previous paragraph didn’t get your motor going, then I don’t know what to tell you. I loved every second of Alienator, not even ironically, because this is exactly the kind of movie I was looking for after watching one too many straight-faced thrillers. This is where movies like this come in. Alienator is the ultimate low-stakes, at-home viewing experience with real rewatch value because it’s campy by design, and that’s all you should ever expect from it.
Terminator Meets Predator?
Alienator is ultimately a chase movie, and we’re introduced to the main players fairly quickly. Kol, a criminal scheduled for execution, steals a ship and hightails it to planet Earth, where he crash lands. A group of teenagers driving an RV find him in a disoriented state after accidentally running him over. They bring him to safety, where he warns that “she’s coming,” just before the collar apparatus on his neck starts glowing, letting us know that danger is in close proximity.
About 40 minutes into Alienator, we finally catch a glimpse of the titular antagonist, donning a laser gun, a bleach-blonde Vince Neil haircut, a silver half mask, and a wrestler body that looks like it could bench press 450 pounds without breaking a sweat. We’re also introduced to a pair of trappers named Burt (Fox Harris) and Harley (Hoke Howell), who come into play once the chase is fully underway, resulting in some of the most unintentionally hilarious sequences you could imagine. My favorite moment involves Burt and Harley having an encounter with a bear trap, only to immediately get up and start running like they didn’t just step into a bear trap.
If you want to see what it actually looks like when someone falls into a bear trap, check out The Wrath of Becky and you’ll quickly understand why nobody is popping up and sprinting after that.
Alienator herself, according to Alienator lore, is weakened by magnetic frequencies, because of reasons never fully explained. The nerdy kid in the group figures this out using his nerd logic, and they attempt to trap her with a metal net, because that’ll definitely work without consequence. Meanwhile, back on the vessel Kol escaped from, the Commander (Jan-Michael Vincent) and Ward Armstrong (John Phillip Law) argue over the ethics of capital punishment while watching the events on Earth unfold from afar.
Know What You’re Getting Into
At the end of the day, Alienator isn’t going to rock your world, but it’s a perfectly serviceable B-movie packed with camp and dumb fun. The special effects are laughably bad, and the acting somehow manages to be even worse. Still, if you throw this on right before falling asleep and let your twilight-addled brain do all the heavy lifting, you’ll probably have a great time. All the beats you’d expect from something like Predator are here, just executed on a shoestring budget.
If you’re not into B-movies, you’ll want to sit this one out. But if you’re anything like me and actively seek this stuff out as a way to blow off steam and laugh at a cast and crew doing the absolute best they can with extremely limited resources, you might as well fire up Tubi and give Alienator a go.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 11, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you’re an animal activist.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
No animal products.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter V.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
VEGAN
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for February 11, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a snacker.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Crack and snack
The words are related to snacks.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe small, crunchy snacks.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Go Nuts.
NYT Strands word list for February 11
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Pecan
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Filbert
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Macadamia
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Go Nuts
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Cashew
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Pistachio
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Almond
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 11, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you’re head over heels.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: Infatuated
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Green: Money in
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Blue: Densely packed
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Purple: Has wheels
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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Yellow: Act lovestruck
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Green: Earnings
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Blue: Compact mass
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Purple: Roller ___
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections #976 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
-
Act lovestruck: MOON, PINE, SWOON, YEARN
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Earnings: GAIN, NET, RETURN, YIELD
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Compact mass: BLOCK, BRICK, CAKE, PUCK
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Roller ___: BAG, COASTER, DERBY, RINK
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
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