Empire Pictures Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Empire Pictures Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

80s Treasures Signed, Sealed, and Delivered.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 6, 2017

Click here to purchase the set directly from Full Moon.

Full Moon has released a pricy, but elegantly simple, collection vintage Empire films. None of them are new to Blu-ray. The set includes 17 films, 16 on Blu-ray and one on DVD (Arena), and one film is presented in both 2D and 3D (Metalstorm). All were previously released in some form or fashion, all of them, minus Trancers, by Shout Factory. But the draw here is the packaging and, more to the point, what's on it: a Charles Band signature, limited to 600. Read on to see whether the set is worth its high cost of admission.

Note that overall scores are not a strict average of all Blu-ray reviews but rather come based on a general feel between several films recently reviewed as well as thoughts based on scanning through the remaining films, the DVD excluded.

The Signature.

The following films comprise Full Moon's Empire Collection. Note that I do not own, and have not reviewed, all of the discs in this collection as they were released prior. I have made effort to ensure that everything appears to carry over between the Shout/Full Moon discs and what's here. Refer to links below for both the main page coverage and a direct link to the review. These are listed in no particular order:

Ghost Town/review

Prison/review

TerrorVision/review (shares a disc with The Video Dead)

The Video Dead/review (shares a disc with TerrorVision)

Robot Jox/review

Dolls/review

Troll/review (shares a disc with Troll II)

Troll II/review (shares a disc with Troll. Also note that this appears to be the same presentation found on the Shout Factory release, not the MGM disc which featured DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless audio instead of the DTS-HD MA 2.0 track contained here. It also does not contain the DVD with the Best Worst Movie documentary)

From Beyond/review

Crawl Space/review

Trancers/review

Metalstorm and Metalstorm 3D/review (Note that these two discs were included in the same case with the Shout Factory release, but here each film earns its own case in the box set)

Ghoulies/review (shares a disc with Ghoulies II)

Ghoulies II/review (shares a disc with Ghoulies)

Cellar Dweller/review (shares a disc with Catacombs)

Catacombs/review (shares a disc with Cellar Dweller)

The Dungeonmaster/review (shares a disc with Eliminators)

Eliminators/review (shares a disc with The Dungeonmaster)

Arena (DVD only, also comes with Eliminators, no review)

Empire Pictures Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For video reviews of each film, please refer to the appropriate links above.

Empire Pictures Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For audio reviews of each film, please refer to the appropriate links above.

Empire Pictures Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Full Moon's Empire Pictures Collection makes a good impression right out of the mailbox. It ships double-packed, very securely. Inside the outer box is layer of thick bubble wrap, protecting a second, smaller box inside of which is another layer of smaller bubble wrap, inside of which is the boxed set, itself wrapped in a protective covering. Unlike some retailers who simply throw an item in any available box (or worse, a bubble mailer; I've literally had a DSLR camera ship to me in a bubble mailer), Full Moon has packaged this set with the utmost care to ensure it arrives safely and without any, or with as few as possible, dents or scratches or anything to diminish either its value or attractiveness. The box itself is handsomely simple, a basic flat black with gray/silver wording announcing the movie titles and pronouncing the word "Empire." There's also a very faint and very dark maroon-ish colored fist/palm/wrist image opposite the signature. Other than that, there's no clutter, no photoshopped faces (at least on the outer shell), just a simple, sleek, maybe even elegant presentation that other studios would be smart to mimic. Of course, the big prize on the outside of the box is the signature. Charles Band has personally autographed each and every one; I received number 221 of 600. It's a very nice touch for fans; it's signed in white and stands out beautifully against the black packaging.

All of that said, there is very mild smearing on the last "0" on the hand-written "600" on my copy. A few scuff marks on the black shell are visible, but one could almost consider them "character" rather than "flaws." Signs of creasing anywhere on the box, flat surface or corners, is so minimal one would need a microscope to really take notice. The box itself measures approximately 8" wide, 5.5" high, and 7.25" deep. It's also very sturdy. It'll stand up to regular use without issue. Don't drop a piano on it, obviously, but it seems super strong for what it is. The lid, which covers the entirety of the box, lifts off straight upward to reveal the box that houses the discs. The Blu-ray cases (even the DVD comes in a Blu-ray case) fit snugly inside, but it's not an effort to remove them, either a batch at a time or individually. Around the four sides are various examples of key artwork from the movies included in the box. It's colorful but not loud, tasteful and well put together; there's not a lot of blank space and there's no clashing of images. In short: the set is going to look fantastic on the shelf with the signature-side forward while offering a different look with the top off.

Also included is a high quality glossy, full-color booklet that begins with a three-page essay by filmmaker and Delirium editor Chris Alexander. Following are single-page essays on most of the films included in the set, presented chronologically by release date. Missing are The Video Dead and Troll II.

As for the disc packaging and discs themselves: some of the films do feature new artwork compared to the Shout counterparts (Prison is a standout example) and all of them are framed in a dark "Empire" box that adds more subdued, attractive class to each release. Another packaging oddity is that, of the various discs that contain two films, two of them -- TerrorVision and The Video Dead and Troll and Troll II -- feature only one film on the front and rear covers and the spine, in these cases TerrorVision and Troll. The disc artwork does show both, and indeed, both appear on their respective discs. Further, the only DVD in the package advertises Arena. But, surprise! Fans actually get Eliminators as well, which is also included on Blu-ray in this set. But there's a bummer with that surprise; the disc artwork promises four films total ("4 Sci-Fi Movie Marathon") but only two appear. Another oddity: only Trancers came shrink-wrapped in the box. With the outer seal in place no wrap on the discs is no big deal; I just found that a bit strange. I also found menu performance to be extremely sluggish on some of these discs, to the point that it was difficult to near-impossible to navigate. Everything was smooth sailing on most, though. So there are some strange things happening in this set, but none of it really amounts to much; it's all cosmetic and anecdotal, though it's a shame that there's not actually four movies on the DVD as the disc advertises.

Empire Pictures Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a fantastic set. It's not perfect -- it's a bit pricey, there's nothing really new, and as well as it's shipped from Full Moon there's still the potential for some light wear or a runny bit of the signature -- but it's still a solid, highly enjoyable and very collectable box, particularly for the Full Moon/Empire Pictures fanatic. The Charles Band signature is obviously the big selling point, but so too is the sleek and simple packaging and the new front cover artwork, which features a handsome Empire logo that gives each release a distinctive, modern, and alluring new look. It's impossible to recommend the set to anyone who already owns most, or all, of these releases as Shout or Full Moon put them to market before, though deep-pocketed collectors will obviously be thrilled. For newcomers who own few or none of these, however, this is certainly the way to go, even if in the aggregate this might cost a bit more. It's a collection done right -- no fuss, very clean, and very sharp -- and it will certainly earn a place of prominence in this reviewer's collection display area. Very highly recommended!