In the original, the events outside of Midgar are stronger than the ones inside of it. It's obviously still good within Midgar, but we won't get a proper comparison until the whole game has been remade. Did the Remake depict the events of Midgar better than the original? Yes, mostly. Even then, it's not a clear-cut decision.
I have an opinion about media in general that I'm not sure is controversial or not - basically, I strongly feel that media rarely ages. If someone was able to enjoy a work of art in it the time it was released, there's no reason why you can't adjust your mindset and do the same. It doesn't matter if it's twenty years old or four thousand years old, if you empathize with the time period, you can enjoy it in the same way their contemporaries did. The only time a work "ages" is through outdated social beliefs - racial and moral insensitivity, primarily. But artistically? Art never ages. I still think the prerendered environments in VII are gorgeous, for example.
Now, onto the actual content of Remake v. Classic:
While the expanded locations feel a lot more like real, living locations, the maze-like linear nature of the maps is a legitimate drawback compared to the original. In the Remake, it's too easy to just put your eyes on the objective marker on the mini-map and turn off your brain and just run there. The environments are bigger, but if you're less incentivized to pay attention to each individual object, does it matter? In the original VII, you digested each location on a screen-by-screen basis, paying attention to more objects per screen.
This is an example of why it's not clear-cut. Because both Remake and Original offer an experience that the other one cannot.
The writing and dialogue in Remake is more emotional, since it's basically being delivered by realistically represented people. However, because the game is more realistic, music tends to be more subtly woven into the scenes. In the original, you're always hit with a strong dose of music and art combining at the same time - creating certain "moods" a lot more powerfully.
If I had to name examples, the scenes leading up to AVALANCHE's death are much stronger in the Remake. The mood in the scene where President Shinra dies is much more mysterious and powerful in the original.
As another example:
In the Remake, climbing the plate was expanded to a whole chapter. You can see the destruction of Sector 7 in great detail, and climbing up the plate is honestly exhilarating as you take in all of the scenery around you.
In the original? The blood-red "AVALANCHE" graffiti against the dark, metallic backdrop while A Full Scale Attack triumphantly plays in the background is powerful. ...Even if AVALANCHE is spelled wrong. So, again, both games offer different things. Even the battle systems have their own rhythm that differ.