Flicks of Shame: what's a nice actor like you doing in a movie like this?

Island City (1994)

Pity the life of the fledgling TV star. It’s a seemingly endless parade of roles in pilot shows, yearning so very desperately for fate to smile upon them. All it takes is for one network to roll the dice and pick up a show, and your career can be made – thanks to syndication, your face can be beamed into the homes of millions of people around the world, every night of the week.

For Eric McCormack, this dream came true in 1998 when his role as Will Truman in ground-breaking gay sitcom Will & Grace catapulted him into the realms of celebrity. Eight years and 185 episodes later, he’s firmly established as a star. Back in 1994, that certainly wasn’t the case, for this was the year that Eric starred in Island City, yet another failed TV pilot that was hastily shuttled out on home video as a standalone movie.

It is the far future, and mankind is in a sorry state. Genetic science has invented a “fountain of youth”, an injection that halts the aging process and prolongs human life by decades. Naturally, millions of people rush to take the magic formula. Unfortunately, someone at the FDA done screwed up bad. The treatment triggers horrific genetic mutations in most of the world’s population – regressing them to a Cro Magnon state. They become Recessives - “superhuman, super-psychotic” as the opening narration handily explains. For reasons that the narration doesn’t bother to explain, the whole planet has also become a toxic desert.

The small percentage of people immune to the drug’s side effects take refuge in the Island City of the title – a hi-tech paradise protected from the violent storms and rampaging Recessives. From this base of operations, which resembles nothing more than a medium-sized suburban strip mall, the RCF make hazardous forays into the wasteland to rescue the few humans left alive, and to study the Recessives in the hope of one day returning them to normal.

The RCF team (no, the movie never explains what RCF stands for) is made up of your typically eclectic action show ensemble. Leading the troops is Colonel Tom Valdoon, a morally upright and tough military man. He’s supported by the Dr Helding, the sexy female medical expert; Lt Michael Mindy, whose half-Recessive DNA makes him the super-strong B.A. Baracus of the unit; and finally Greg 23, the clumsy yet brilliant science officer played by – you guessed it – a pre-fame Eric McCormack.

But Greg 23 is no ordinary science officer. No, the world of Island City is full of outlandish technological advances, and Greg is one of 42 clones. Unfortunately, each clone came out with some sort of defect. Greg 23 has the smarts, but is dangerously uncoordinated when it comes to any kind of physical action. In one of the movies most bizarre scenes, Greg is roughed up by three bullying copies of himself, all played by Eric McCormack and inserted into the scene in a less than convincing manner.

The movie also features teleporting walls that allow people to walk from one location to another via an AT&T phone line, and all humans have colored crystals embedded in their chests which dictate who they can have sex with. Quite how this gleaming hi-tech city sustains itself with no resources and no commerce or economy is a question that would doubtlessly been addressed had the show been picked up by a network.

Which, of course, it wasn’t.

Need to know: The impossibly chiselled Col. Valdoon was played by Kevin Conroy, who has the distinction of being the longest serving Batman actor in history. He’s voiced the Caped Crusader in his multiple cartoon appearances from 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series all the way up to Justice League Unlimited. Dr Helding was played by Brenda Strong, now best known as Mary Alice, the deceased narrator from Desperate Housewives.

Island City was directed by Jorge Montesi, who also brought us The Omen IV , and produced by Jonathan Glassner, who went on to bring us Stargate SG-1 and was also the story editor on the Nintendo pimpfest The Wizard (see: Tobey Maguire).

Honourable mentions: You can also find Eric McCormack in the 1992 TV movies based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s dinosaur adventure, The Lost World, and in the 1996 TV movie, Night Visitors, a tale of alien experiments also directed by Jorge Montesi. Sci-fi buffs should also seek out Eric’s starring role in 1998’s Free Enterprise, a charming lo-fi comedy about two Star Trek fans who turn to William Shatner for real life love advice.

Availability: Island City received a video release, but is now out of print. Be prepared to battle with demented Will & Grace fans should you find a copy on Ebay.

		Island City (1994) Pity the life of the fledgling TV star. It’s a seemingly endless parade of roles in pilot shows, yearning so very desperately for fate to smile upon them. All it takes is for one network to roll the dice and pick up a show, and your career can be made – thanks to syndication, your face can be beamed into the homes of millions of people around the world, every night of the week. For Eric McCormack, this dream came true in 1998 when his role as Will Truman in ground-breaking gay sitcom Will & Grace catapulted him into the realms of celebrity. Eight years and 185 episodes later, he’s firmly established as a star. Back in 1994, that certainly wasn’t the case, for this was the year that Eric starred in Island City, yet another failed TV pilot that was hastily shuttled out on home video as a standalone movie. It is the far future, and mankind is in a sorry state. Genetic science has invented a “fountain of youth”, an injection that halts the aging process and prolongs human life by decades. Naturally, millions of people rush to take the magic formula. Unfortunately, someone at the FDA done screwed up bad. The treatment triggers horrific genetic mutations in most of the world’s population – regressing them to a Cro Magnon state. They become Recessives - “superhuman, super-psychotic” as the opening narration handily explains. For reasons that the narration doesn’t bother to explain, the whole planet has also become a toxic desert. The small percentage of people immune to the drug’s side effects take refuge in the Island City of the title – a hi-tech paradise protected from the violent storms and rampaging Recessives. From this base of operations, which resembles nothing more than a medium-sized suburban strip mall, the RCF make hazardous forays into the wasteland to rescue the few humans left alive, and to study the Recessives in the hope of one day returning them to normal. The RCF team (no, the movie never explains what RCF stands for) is made up of your typically eclectic action show ensemble. Leading the troops is Colonel Tom Valdoon, a morally upright and tough military man. He’s supported by the Dr Helding, the sexy female medical expert; Lt Michael Mindy, whose half-Recessive DNA makes him the super-strong B.A. Baracus of the unit; and finally Greg 23, the clumsy yet brilliant science officer played by – you guessed it – a pre-fame Eric McCormack. But Greg 23 is no ordinary science officer. No, the world of Island City is full of outlandish technological advances, and Greg is one of 42 clones. Unfortunately, each clone came out with some sort of defect. Greg 23 has the smarts, but is dangerously uncoordinated when it comes to any kind of physical action. In one of the movies most bizarre scenes, Greg is roughed up by three bullying copies of himself, all played by Eric McCormack and inserted into the scene in a less than convincing manner. The movie also features teleporting walls that allow people to walk from one location to another via an AT&T phone line, and all humans have colored crystals embedded in their chests which dictate who they can have sex with. Quite how this gleaming hi-tech city sustains itself with no resources and no commerce or economy is a question that would doubtlessly been addressed had the show been picked up by a network. Which, of course, it wasn’t. Need to know: The impossibly chiselled Col. Valdoon was played by Kevin Conroy, who has the distinction of being the longest serving Batman actor in history. He’s voiced the Caped Crusader in his multiple cartoon appearances from 1992’s Batman: The Animated Series all the way up to Justice League Unlimited. Dr Helding was played by Brenda Strong, now best known as Mary Alice, the deceased narrator from Desperate Housewives. Island City was directed by Jorge Montesi, who also brought us The Omen IV , and produced by Jonathan Glassner, who went on to bring us Stargate SG-1 and was also the story editor on the Nintendo pimpfest The Wizard (see: Tobey Maguire). Honourable mentions: You can also find Eric McCormack in the 1992 TV movies based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s dinosaur adventure, The Lost World, and in the 1996 TV movie, Night Visitors, a tale of alien experiments also directed by Jorge Montesi. Sci-fi buffs should also seek out Eric’s starring role in 1998’s Free Enterprise, a charming lo-fi comedy about two Star Trek fans who turn to William Shatner for real life love advice. Availability: Island City received a video release, but is now out of print. Be prepared to battle with demented Will & Grace fans should you find a copy on Ebay.
Text © 2008 Dan Whitehead. No cut and paste, y'hear? All images remain the property of the offending studios and their reproduction is covered by Fair Use law.