Saga RO or TFA?

Since Disney/Lucasfilm's first two SW films are out, decided to make this thread to hear out what you guys think. So, there we have it - the first Episode film from the ST and the first SW spin-off film. Which one of the two did you think was better and for what reasons?

 

Rogue One was definitely better. More original story, better villains, and it didn't violate Star Wars lore nearly as much as Force Awakens did (see: Any lightsaber scene in TFA).

 

I really liked Rogue One, but The Force Awakens is my favorite movie, period. Here are three reasons:
1. Rey vs. Jyn - Rey is my favorite character of the saga. She looks at the galaxy with a sense of wonder and hope that I never really got from Luke or even young Anakin. Her strength of character and resolve to do what she must for the good of everyone make her a true hero. And she's a total badass. Daisy Ridley turned in a star performance. I could go on for hours about Rey. Jyn Erso wasn't as compelling of a character for me. I never really felt attached to her like I did with Rey. They're similar insofar as neither of them sought adventure but rose to the occasion when they were called upon, but I wasn't that sad to lose Jyn. Felicity Jones was awesome, as were the other RO actors, but I didn't feel that strongly about any of their characters.
2. The Force - As important as the mission to steal the Death Star plans was, my favorite part of Star Wars is the mythology of the Jedi and the Force. And my favorite thing about the Force is the 'mental' aspect, which we get a good amount of in TFA. Rey turning Kylo Ren's mind-reading against him and learning how to use it herself is one of my favorite scenes in the saga. The lightsaber battle between Rey and Kylo Ren is also my favorite of the saga. It's so visceral and raw and just looks awesome. Having said that, Darth Vader's beast-mode takedown of the rebel soldiers at the end of RO is one of the best things I have ever seen in my life. Unfortunately, that doesn't make up for their disgraceful presentation of Vader in his first scene. They gave him a joke. Never forget that they gave Darth Vader a joke...
3. Gut reaction - As much as I like to re-watch things and formulate opinions, my gut reaction to TFA was that it was the best film of the saga. RO left me with mixed feelings. It seemed more uneven, with some of it (the last third in particular) being absolutely stellar and other parts of it upsetting me. I haven't rushed out to see it six times in the theater like I did with TFA.

 

I think I prefer RO.

TFA had excellent new characters (at least on the Resistance side; villains were a bit weaker).
RO's droid was better than BB8, and RO's villains were more convincing. Its heroes were more of an ensemble with less time to get to know them, but still great characters.
The battles in RO were absolutely spectacular and the drama was moving, especially towards the end.
TFA, as the first movie in a new trilogy, had a responsibility to be original in a way that RO didn't. With rehashes like SKB it fell slightly short.

 

RO

 

Both!

 

Easily Rogue One.

It actually adds something to the saga by fleshing out the Rebels, Empire, Death Star etc. and is fairly original.

 

I actually thought Krennic was a breath of fresh air. Tarkin, Vader, Palpatine etc. are all driven by power and domination. However, Krennic is more driven by ego. He is a pissed off project manager, who feels that he has been given the shaft by a talentless hack (Tarkin).

It is petty, but I found it fresh and believable.

 

I also prefer RO.

Original story, better written plot that does not hinge on too many coincidences, likable characters that make sense, evil guys that are actually threatening, jaw-dropping cinematography, fantastic action scenes, creative worldbuilding and it added a lot of depth to the lore without creating too many “wtf, since when?” questions.
It’s a prequel that managed to be more unpredictable than a sequel, it had genuine emotional moments that did not rely on fan attachment to characters; it’s also bolder and thought-provoking, and managed to provide a new modern view of the Empire using real world references without falling into the space nazi cliché.

And Vader was just the cherry on top.

 

It's funny, I think TFA starts out extremely strong, but finishes somewhat slow. The opening scenes and the introductions of the new characters are awesome. The opening scenes with Kylo Ren and Rey are especially phenomenal. However, as it moves on, it slightly loses steam. It's almost always strong, but it starts to shift more explicitly into the #dontforgetyourewatchingstarwars phase of the movie. Cantina 2.0, Death Star 3.0, and Trench Run 2.0 don't do it for me. That said, spliced between those scenes are tons of great events including the vision scene, the death of Han Solo, and the lightsaber battles. Then, there's the phenomenal closing scene, which matches the opening scenes in pure excellence. Overall, the characters were excellent in this film, matching A New Hope in introducing a compelling cast of characters. Rey, Kylo, and Finn are all thoroughly engaging characters and Poe and BB8 are solid as a side dish.

On the other hand, RO starts slow, but ends very strong. I find the opening act too choppy. Between the time jump and hopping from 4-6 planets, the movie struggles to find its groove. As it moves into the second and third act, the films picks up pace. The battle sequences are all great and the closing scene with Vader going AWOL is phenomenal. However, I never really fell in love or found myself compelled by Cassian or Jyn, nor did I find Krennic especially interesting. Secondary characters like Chirutt, Baze, and K2SO were really the engaging characters.

Overall, I think RO offers the better story and action, but TFA has much more compelling characters and better pacing. Ultimately, because I cared about the characters more in TFA, I felt more throughout the film and thus, even if aspects of it were derivative, the impact of the film as a whole was still stronger.

 

RO.

 

RO, though TFA is still awesome! I do credit it for getting me back into SW, after all.

 

T.F.A., because the characters I feel were written in more depth than in R.O., and it also felt tighter and slicker.

 

TFA, though I loved both movies.

For me, TFA was just a better made movie. And I really loved the characters and where the movie was taking us. R1 was excellent. IOt had the best space battle of the saga, IMO, and really deepened the OT, especially Ep IV. So it's a hard call, but for me, TFa has the slight edge. I think TFA was a 9/10, and R1 is an 8.5/10

 

The first time I saw TFA, I left the theater feeling extremely elated. After seeing RO I felt satisfied... but that's it. TFA was just a much more fun experience from start to finish. Both movies played heavily on nostalgia (I admit I'm a sucker for it) but I found myself enjoying the new characters of TFA more than the cast of RO.

Rey and Finn were much more lovable and charismatic than Jyn & Cassian. I thought both Kylo Ren and Orson Krennic were great villains in very different ways. TFA was strong start to finish whereas RO didn't really get into full swing until the last third or so. At the end of the day I had more fun watching TFA and that's what is most important for me. I watch Star Wars for fun space-fantasy escapism and TFA did a better job of delivering that.

 

TFA may have had a more brisk pace to it, but R1 felt like something completely new, and turned a lot of heads in proving that a Star Wars film can stand without any of the main characters from the main series. I just felt Rogue One stayed more true to the original Saga, so that's my answer.

 

Vader says hi.

 

TFA had all the hype, but Rogue One really delivered. TFA had a great start and setup, but really fell apart at the end. Nobody wants to be more wrong about TFA than me. I truly want Ep. 8 (and 9) to turn all my perceived flaws of TFA into amazing misdirects proven to be well thought out plot points.

But Rogue One had a great start and setup and just kept getting better. Mainly because the end used the beginning as foundation. The Rogue One world felt large. Nothing felt like a scene location. If I was five, I'd probably just think they went to a planet called Scarif, Eadu or Jedha to film. They introduced new vehicles while giving a reason for them not being in Ep 4,5,6. The depth given to both the Rebellion and Empire without actually destroying the previous perception was masterfully handled.

TFA has the advantage of the characters getting two more movies. Kylo is the character I probably care most about in terms of seeing how he plays out. All the other characters feel "what you see is what you get", but Kylo still has the biggest mystery potential.

Winner: Rogue One. And I definitely like the idea of Anthologies films being a time/setting/plot than a character adventure. I wanted a Darth Vader movie set between episode 3 and 4, but Darth Vader: A Star Wars Story with Vader just being super samurai is best left to small scenes as opposed to an entire movie. So I feel like R1 gave me that. Because it turns out I didn't just want to see Vader between 3 and 4. I wanted to see the rebellion, the empire, the oppressed planets and the feeling of the Empire at its height. Thanks Rogue One.

 

He was in the movie for 2 minutes.

 

What Zejo the Jedi said. I thought it was impressive that on the posters and displays in the theaters, it was all fresh faces introduced (and killed off) in Rogue One. Amazing that it could pull that off, yet still keep close ties with the movie that proceeds it.

 

They're very different movies with different purposes, so choosing one over the other as "better" is apples and oranges IMO. I thought TFA started strong and had some stumbles as it went on, while R1 started with a few stumbles and finished strong. I don't feel any need to pick one; I like both for telling different stories.

 

TFA wins easily for me. It's characters were mostly well developed, while RO's characters were pretty flat. I also felt TFA had a much better flow to the story.