Defies to be beaten (Empire)

Member Name: daddygratis

Product:	Empire
Date:	28/06/01 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Most comprehensive film guide, Excellent feautres and regular items, Excellent value for money

Disadvantages: Release dates are confusing

Several face-lifts, various price hikes and an ongoing turnover of editors and yet Empire goes from strength to strength.

Lets forget that it is Britains leading movie magazine with circulation figures growing every year; that it is one of the few magazines to hold its own award ceremony annually, pulling in more than just the bowels of D list movie stars; that it offers most film news first and provides the most comprehensive list of reviews from films on release. The bottom line is that as film magazines go, nothing has the all encompassing approach and scope of Empire.

That coveted first editions of the magazine have been sold for over £150-00 says just how important the series is to the modern film goer. Complete sets in pristine condition could fetch over £1000 and certain special features, those notably with front covers from the likes of Star Wars, or Bond have soaring price tags. So what is it that has made Empire stand out from the crowd?

First off lets deal with branding. Emap, the publishing company behind Empire has positioned it as THE UK film magazine. It feels fresher than the likes of Premier and more informative than perhaps some of the newer named magazines. The logo is the most distinctive on the market and its cover is so cleverly designed that it cannot help but to stand out against the dozens of others that surround it.

As with any magazine, Empire prides itself on its features and here it has the advantage of having arrived first and thus being able to claim rightly so that it has the largest number of unique assets. The spine quote from films that keep people guessing all month, the classic scene, the letters, the competitions and more recently the top 20 films in production are key elements to what makes Empire, Empire.

Because it has been around for so many years it has developed a sense of community amongst readers and there is a genuine interest in incorporating readers? ideas into the magaz
ine. Apparently a big push for larger previews saw the launch of the twice annual movie preview, where by it scans the forthcoming films for either the new year or the summer season. It reached such great heights that Empire developed trailer tapes free with these much coveted editions, which saw copies all but fly from the shelf. In addition it offers a monthly opportunity to see a film for free at selected cinemas nationwide and it also offers its annual birthday ticket to any Odeon cinema for any film of your choice. Whilst the trailer tape appears to have been disbanded of late, Empire remains one of the best value for money magazines around.

But at heart this is not the reason why Empire has reached such high sales figures. It is essentially a review magazine and it is here, in the writing that the quality stands out. Many of the writers who carry out the features are freelance and this offers an interesting monthly variant to the style and tone of the interviews or location reports. Added to this is the core team who with a fresh approach to reviews, offer intelligent, objective and insightful analysis of films and the film industry with the an added humour that is far removed from the blunt sarcasm so many others chose to adopt.

The format of reviews are unsurpassed, as the ?nutshell? provides the bones of the plot whilst the detail creates an excellent overview of films merits and flaws. Unlike so many other magazines it also strives to avoid idle rumours or gossip and if it does provide spoiler information, it tells you first. Something other magazines still fail to do.

In recent times, it has increased its ?for rent? and ?to buy? sections as well as offering relevant internet and product reviews. It has also expanded into music and books related to film. As such it makes the magazine a complete guide not just to films but to all things movie related. And this is another reason why it stands out against the herd.

Feat
ure wise, it never fails to offer new and imaginative ideas, whether it be reporting on the making of a new film or looking back at a genre, career of an actor or director or taking an unusual insight into some as yet uncovered area of film. It?s seasonal ?best of all time series? is excellent, especially since it is often based upon readers votes where you are taken on a journey of for example, the greatest action scenes of all time, or the greatest comic moments. In addition, Emap have taken this idea a step further with the release of various special editions which review the ?greatest films? of a particular genre or period in depth.

The piece de resistance however is its classic scene. The final page of every edition provides a well presented chosen scene from a film, giving the outline of the plot, the credits and any awards it picked up. With a defining picture from the scene it then gives you the scene script. Many people have been known to take these classic scenes and frame them as a display of cinemas greatest moments.

If there were to be any negative points about Empire it is its release schedule for each edition. Rather than being on sale for the 1st day of each month and then covering films and news for that forthcoming month, it remains one month ahead of itself, with the ?August? edition for example released about a week into July. In addition, on occasion, it fails to gain reviews of certain key films in time for its release. The price has risen in recent years and it now stands I think at £3-50.

Yet Empire redeems itself by actively rewarding loyalty and you can save up to 25% off the normal price by subscribing for a year, either by phone or on the excellent on-line system they have. With your subscription you get various freebies that change every month, such as free books or films. You also get discounts on selected products and cinema tickets. This is not all however, because after a few months of subscription I rece
ived a letter offering me the chance renew my subscription for the year after. I phoned Emap for further details and because I phoned they offered me a further reduction on the price. I now pay about £2.20 per issue. This is an excellent deal.

As a supporting effort, Empire?s website is one of the most comprehensive there is, covering a plethora of issues and themes offering excellent interactive features. It is developed for easy navigation and subscription on-line through this is extremely easy. It continues the strong branding that makes it so distinctive and serves to enhance itself as the leading source for movie information.

Empire is not an acquired taste because it is a generalist magazine. Its approach is one of no nonsense coverage, it feels crammed of information yet remains easy to read with well laid out pages. If you are looking for a trustworthy comprehensive value for money guide with accurate information it simply cannot be beaten.

Summary: