Total Film is another British film magazine published thirteen times a year by 'Future Publishing.' This also includes a number of film-reviews, features and news.
I'm comparing both magazine reviews on the new sci-fi, action film, 'In Time' featuring stars such as Justin Timberlake, Cillian Murphey and Olivia Wilde, and is directed by Andrew Niccol. The first review I looked at was in Empire Magazine(http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=137316) which initially I found to be quite short but sweet, and got straight to the point. It included a short summary of the plot, then went on to the review, and finally to the verdict. This makes it simple and easy to understand and follow, which is suitable for people who don't want to read loads, and also leaves room for them to come up with their own opinions. The review side of the article was also short, but quite blunt and made it clear as to what the writer thought about the film, "handles the action well and has a credible lead in Timberlake" and again didn't give to much away. Then finally it features a very short verdict, consisting of three lines, "Interesting ideas and howling anger at the 1 percent drive the first half, but the Bonnie and Clyde styling's of the second feel a little rushed and strangely out of sync." This rounds off the review with a brief summary of what they believe the film has achieved. The article also shows a star rating, film details, such as Director, and Certificate and also shows pictures which draws in your attention, and gives you even more of a feel as to what the film is about, where in this case is an action short.
The second review which features in Total Film (http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/in-time) is more detailed and plays out the plot a bit more. Again it features a review, a verdict and a star rating like Empire's review, but the writing style is a lot different, and I believe it's easier to understand. The review plays out the pros and cons, and the performance of the actors, which gives people an understanding of the film as a whole, "the performances are just as insubstantial. Timberlake doesn’t embarrass himself, but he’s not exactly a rugged, wrong-side-of-the-tracks action hero, while Seyfried and co drift between underwritten and insipid". It also features a number if rhetorical questions, which leaves readers questioning it themselves, and wanting to see the film so they can also understand what the writer is saying. The verdict is very short but sums his opinion up well, and the action shot picture again gives readers an insight into what will show on their screens.
I think the ultimate difference between each review, is that Empire is a lot shorter, and snappier and aims more at someone who wants to read a quick, short review and gets an understanding of their opinion in the first couple of lines, whereas Total Film review is more detailed and let's you think about what the film is about and how it plays out.
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