I am redownloading L8wrtr’s edit, because if I remember correctly he has the droids remain on the ship and Anakin save Padme by using the force. (He uses a shot originally depicting Anakin pulling something off racks to knock two Geonosians off a platform or something.) I don’t remember how well it worked, but I hope to take a look soon.
I appreciate the honesty; while I believe Lucas could have made it work just fine to have the Dooku scene rather than the action setpiece, being able to cobble something totally convincing through fan editing is not a guarantee. Let me see what L8wrtr came up with, and field it. I would, however, be willing to go against having it be completely convincing if it means keeping the nonsense with the droids away.