Christopher Nolan won best director, and also received the film magazine's "inspiration" award.
Andy Serkis won best actor for his motion-capture performance in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Ralph Fiennes, meanwhile, was presented with a "legend" award by Liam Neeson, his Schindler's List co-star.
Code-breaking drama The Imitation Game began the evening with the most nominations - six - but ultimately took home just one award, for best thriller.
Paddington was named best comedy at the event, while spy caper Kingsman: The Secret Service was crowned best British film.
An absent Rosamund Pike was named best actress for her role in Gone Girl, while former Doctor Who star Karen Gillan won best female newcomer for her work in Guardians of the Galaxy.
The latest X-Men film, Days of Future Past, won the award for best sci-fi or fantasy, while Australian title The Babadook took home the prize for best horror.
Voted for by Empire readers, the awards were presented by Cold Feet star James Nesbitt at London's Grosvenor House hotel.
Serkis, best known for playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films, ended Eddie Redmayne's winning streak for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
The 50-year-old said it was "gratifying" to be recognised as it helped illustrate his part in portraying computer-generated ape Caesar was "no different from any form of live-action acting".
Fiennes, currently appearing in Man and Superman at the National Theatre, confessed to feeling both "delight" and "embarrassment" at being called a legend.
"The 'L' word is only really applicable to a handful of dead actors... and should be treated with generous bucket-loads of irony," he told an audience that included his Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe.
Paying tribute to such former colleagues as Steven Spielberg and Robert Redford, the 53-year-old also gave an unexpected shout-out to Jennifer Lopez, his co-star in romantic comedy Maid in Manhattan
"May the spirit of J-Lo, with whom I maided in Manhattan, stop me for taking myself too seriously - though I am serious about the work," he concluded.

The mother conceived naturally and gave birth to a baby boy two weeks ago.
Edinburgh University scientists are freezing tissue from the reproductive organs of boys and girls as young as one, which can be re-implanted once they reach adulthood.
The 33-year-old mother had a section of her ovary removed 11 years ago.
She wishes to remain anonymous.
Following her chemotherapy, doctors re-implanted the tissue last year.
Researchers said the new service was open to NHS patients.
The new mother said: "That the re-implanted tissue took so quickly, came as a really wonderful surprise.
"I'm incredibly appreciative of my oncologist's foresight in sending me for the consultation with the fertility team.
"I had one small surgical procedure before I began my second round of chemotherapy and now, 10 years on, my husband and I have been able to have a family."
She added: "We never thought it would be possible and we are just astonished and overjoyed. We are extremely grateful to all the people involved in this process.
"When you're going through cancer treatment it can be hard to think about the future, but I do think this will offer hope to others that they could one day have a family."
Prof Richard Anderson, of Edinburgh University, said: "The storage of ovarian tissue to allow restoration of fertility after cancer treatment in girls and young women was pioneered in Edinburgh over 20 years ago, and it is wonderful to see it come to fruition.
"This gives real hope to girls and young women facing treatment that may cause them to become infertile, and shows how some medical advances can take a long time to show their benefits."
The research has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, Children with Cancer, the European Union and the Medical Research Council.
It has involved close collaboration with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.
Deep space epic Interstellar left the competition earthbound at this year's Empire awards, taking off with three prizes including best film.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A cancer patient from Edinburgh has become the first UK woman to give birth following a transplant of her frozen ovary tissue.