After debuting in the box office with $290 million, Rogue One has drawn comparisons to the last major Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. It is pretty evident Rogue One wins in a Rogue One vs The Force Awakens comparison.
According to Rolling Stone, the Rogue One vs The Force Awakens comparison feels one-sided as Rogue One can stand on a movie on its own while The Force Awakens gives too many flashbacks of the trilogy. Rogue One is the first film set outside a trilogy framework and it does have a tone and rhythm all its own. The action is riveting but it still manages to squeeze in a PG-13 rating from the MPAA.
The action, according to Forbes, is a major factor in the Rogue One vs The Force Awakens talk because Star Wars films are generally full of action. In Rogue One, there are no lightsaber battles but there is the memorable scene in the end where Darth Vader breaches the rebel ship. The Force Awakens does have a nice scene on the Millenium Falcon and a lot more. The deciding factor here is the Stormtroopers in Rogue One because they are a formidable group of villains that can take out a lot of protagonists.
The supporting characters are a main part of the Rogue One vs The Force Awakens battle because they get noticed by the fans when they show up on screen but that entirely depends on the impact they make. There's not much side characters in The Force Awakens apart from Poe Dameron, Chirrut Imwe and Baze. For Rogue One, Saw Gerrera provides a dark version of the Rebel Alliance and K-2SO provides comic relief while taking out many bad guys.
Check out this video showing good views about the Rogue One vs The Force Awakens comparison:
