ffedarko This movie was one that my daughter and I enjoyed watching when it first came out. Not the best of sci-fi. But as a lot of reviewers have cited, I agree that it had great potential to become a series of 20th century morality tales similar to what Star Trek offered in the late '60s. There were so many aspects of pitfalls of society coping with science gone bad and its impact on people's lives, social institutions, relationships, and morality. Also enjoyed seeing Brenda Strong, Eric McCormack, and Constance Marie early in their careers. We were sorry that the show didn't get a chance to develop its potential.Would love to find out where I can pick up a copy of the movie!

misticalistic I saw this movie when i was a teenager and I loved it - at the time i did not realize it was a pilot for a TV show, I have been searching for it for years, I could never remember the title and it was driving me nuts. Over the years i would try searching for it, all i could remember was that City was in the title, well now i found it and I agree with most who have posted on this title. Sci-Fi really should pick it up and run with it. I think that it could rank right up there with Stargate etc. Maybe if everyone who enjoyed the pilot wrote to Sci-Fi they would try to revive the plot. If anyone has a copy of the pilot I would LOVE to get a copy of it.

KeyOrion Island city is a scifi entry of a possible future earth. Set in future, (the exact date I don't remember) we find that the earth is screwed up in more ways than one. The premise of this televised movie was that humanities technology was growing at a fast pace, and they had finally discovered a drug that could prolong human life by centuries. Unfortunately it didn't pass FDA testing because we learn humanity quickly devolves into grunting cavemen, with only only a few tens of thousands who are unaffected by the devolving nature of the drug.Now the story progresses as the remaining intelligent members of humanity are trying to rebuild society. Hence the title, Island City, which is the last bastion of unchanged humans. Amazingly they have LOTS of really advanced technology. Teleportation archways, a shield to protect the city from electromagnetic/ion storms (which now ravage the planet, who knows why) and outside attacks by the devolved members of the human race, and the city looks more like a giant CLEAN (gasp) mall.Though you do figure with all that advanced technology why they couldn't come up with a way to break down or reverse the effects of the drug. Though looking along the multiple character back stories they told in the first hour alone, we can see how troubled the human race was in this future. Clones of soldiers which it turns out, you make a carbon copy of an individual it will have some mental or physical problem. That the city is located in a desert and of electrical storms all over the place that they need a shield to protect themselves shows how screwed up the planet got. And of course the wonder drug which extended life, but in the course of extending it, 95% of the human race was reduced to large craniums Neanderthals. All this speaks of how fast earth raced technologically without fear of repercussions of those technologies.The only redeeming story arc in this entire show was the fine acting of Brenda Strong who plays Dr. Sammy Helding and the actor who played the character who she was married to. She had taken the drug and was unaffected by the devolving process, and so she has her life extended. But her husband refused to take the drug and continued to age normally. She still looks like she is in her late 20's and early 30's but her husband looks to be in his 70's. The arc of the story if progressed showed resentment towards the woman he loves for the choice she made. He even makes an off hand comment that maybe she should just go along with someone 'younger'. But she still loves the man she married, even as he makes a sarcastic remark in a self dignified jealousy. I found this story arc of the life choices made by two individuals very well played out.As for technological side, the jewels which everyone is forced to wear, by law in the show, shows how far the world may have to go in order to protect itself from disease. Basically the jewels are surgically implanted in each individual to show genetic compatibility in mates so as not to reproduce a devolved specimen of man. Apparently the life extension drug has screwed up everyone's DNA so only the right combinations of compatible mates are allowed to have children. Reds with reds, blues with blues, and so on and so forth. The only people who arn't allowed to procreate are those people who have a black jewel. Forbidden to procreate. Of course we only have one individual in the show who has a black jewel, and of course he's half devolved. Of course since most technologies we see in today's world is technology we see in scifi shows, who is to say these jewels won't be seen in the future to label people with diseases such as AIDS.I'll have to give the show a five. I'm halfway because I tend to love all scifi no matter how good or bad it gets.

budikavlan Granted, it may be a cheapie pilot, with cheesy special effects and unknown actors, but this movie was fun to watch. Don't go into it expecting another Space Odyssey, but it's a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours if you have time to kill.