I saw the original SW back in '77 when I was four years old, and it had a lasting effect on me. I saw each of the OT movies in their original theatrical release, and I was ecstatic when I first saw that the PT would be made, so many years after reading as a kid that Lucas had nine movies in mind. I identified strongly with Vader, and had done so all my life. My friends and family often referred to me as the Dark Lord of the Sith, and I grew into that role quite well, for reasons good and bad.
I was less than thrilled with some of the changes to the OT in the SE release, but I could more or less accept all but the addition of Greedo shooting in the Cantina and the musical number at Jabba's Palace. I didn't like the original number either though, to be honest -- that always seemed out ofplace for me. I'm not a huge detractor of the SE, to be honest. I feel that some things were unecessary, but I only really cringe at the whole Greedo/Han fiasco.
Then TPM came out, and I was annoyed as hell about some of the so-called comic relief in the film, but I was more excited to see that these are Jedi, the way that Jedi were in the prime of their lives, and in the prime of the existence of the Jedi order. I had that feeling of magic, of goosebumps and chills when the opening music began, when we first saw Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, and when we saw them in action as Master and Padawan. That was magical, I thought. I was willing to accept the idea that Anakin was found as a child on Tatooine and most of his storyline, though the whole "virgin birth" thing kinda irked me. This was what I'd waited for 20+ years to learn though. Midichlorians were blasphemous, and I still choose to ignore them. Jar Jar was too over-the-top for my taste as well. (I'm grateful to ADM for edits that take away that silliness, and it's inspired me to plan on my own edits of all 6 at some point.)
Still, I had reason to be hopeful for the rest of the PT, even if I didn't agree with everything in TPM. My expectations were lower for AOTC as a result though.
That having been said, I thought that AOTC was far superior by comparison, even if the "courtship" scenes and the chemistry between Anakin and Padme were more than a bit forced. I actually have a fondness for the somewhat stilted speech of the SW universe, so most of the SW dialogue has never bothered me, despite complaints from the OT cast among others. Some of the scenes were once again unnecessary (the droid factory for one), but I was happy to see positive progress and the beginning of Anakin's fall to the Dark Side. It was a thrill ride with ups and downs, but there was far more positive than negative here, so I was willing to accept AOTC as a SW movie.
The 2004 DVD release came and I was like a kid again, watching the OT at home. Oddly enough, I realized I saw even more changes. Some of the bothersome stuff from the theater release of the SE was fixed, but more was changed. Once again, not much of an issue to me except for Greedo shooting at Han. I can even accept the voice change for Fett to some degree.
Then ROTS came.
This was the big one. The Main Event. This was supposed to be the cinematic "Rumble in the Jungle" that would clinch the SW movies as the greatest cinematic epics of all time, and not just in the eyes of the truly devoted. I was blown away by what I saw and what I felt at each scene. The first viewing was a spectacle -- a celebration with a few close friends as we made what would be our final pilgrimage to see the SW saga in theaters. But something felt somehow off in the end. For the second viewing a week later, I chose to go alone, as I wanted no outside influence before or after to sway my opinions.
I was still blown away by the big picture of what I saw, but the details bothered me a bit more. The dialogue between Anakin and Padme made me cringe almost as much as watching Greedo shoot at Han in the SE. Obi-Wan didn't seem so strong as he should have. And I won't go into the whole "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo" that JEJ bellowed for the dark lord. The less said, the better there, I believe we can all agree.
I've come to terms with it all though. The PT isn't the OT, but it doesn't have to be for me to enjoy it. I wish it could have been done differently, been executed better so the "mistakes" between the two trilogies didn't have to be addressed. Since it wasn't, and because there is quite a bit for me to enjoy in the PT, I accept the broader concepts if not the details of the PT. I still feel the magic from the movies, but not nearly so frequently as I did before TPM.