as far as story structure is concerned, PM has a stong narrative structure and technically (in that one way) should be superior to AOTC. sadly, though, it is marred by jar jar, lloyd's acting, maudlin scenes, midichlorines, and the stupid two-headed anouncer. also, there is no hero in that film. it should have been obi wan, but "main hero character" is shared three ways among obi, ani, and qui gon, really leaving the audience displaced as to who it should be identifying with. and another thing, letting the audience know WHY the taxation of trade routes is in dispute (and over what) would have gone a long way toward bringing some meaning to the whole damn hexology. i mean, who gives a damn about naboo? why would palpidious/trade fed care? even a lame explanation would have been nice. something...anything...

AOTC, while not structurally as strong, i simply found it more enjoyable. it has an obvious main character (anakin). also, there were more "bad-ass" action scenes, and it felt more like a rollicking space opera/adventure and less like a sterile introduction. the dual-story line, while not as tight as ESB, still worked; and the pacing was pretty good throughout. the love scene felt contrived, as did the bondage outfit scene (i wish i could just wish away the bad writing). also, the camera style totally changed in the clone war scene. i understand it was to serve a purpose, but it felt too disjunctive relative to the rest of the film. overall, i enjoyed it much more than PM.