Now after watching all 3 prequel movies, TPM is a big waste of 2 hours. The key relationship in the prequels is Anakin/Padme and Anakin/Kenobi and Anakin/Palpatine, and because Lucas made him 10 years old, which could have been done in a very specific 20 minute flashback to explain him being a cute innocent kid, there is no development in any of these relationships at all.
When we get to AOTC, Anakin/Palplatine have one small scene togther, so Lucas waits til Episode III for Palpatine to really start to manipulate, and I have to say those, because of McDiarmid's acting is great, are really good scenes, but that is why the turn is so rushed, because the manipulation is not played out over three movies. Now Lucas says in the commentary, it should be assumed by the viewer that Palpatine has been manipulating him for years, and Lucas is probably right, but, damnit, SHOW US THIS STUFF! That is the whole point of the prequels is the show the specific conflicts and problems these characters faced, instead of everything is assumed, or read the books, or watch the clone war cartoon.
ObiWan/Anakin friendship was never developed, again because it had three movies to do so, but it was non existent in TPM because Anakin was too young, and QuiGon was really his master. AOTC, we get the first 15 minutes and they go on a wild goose chase for a bounty hunter, and then they meet in the end at the start of the Clone Wars. They finally don't get any really good screentime together until Episode III. Again, at the starting of AOTC, when they are riding up the elevator to meet Padme after the second movie jumped 10 years, Lucas says in the commentary, it is assumed by their banter that they have become very good friends, and this scene was put in there to show that, so the next scene when Kenobi yells at him, you see they have a love/hate relationship. Again George, instead of just letting the viewer assume it, SHOW US, give us three solid movies of their friendship, and then the viewer will understand why they are good friends. Luke, Leia, and Han by the end of ROTJ you know they would die for each other, because Lucas did such a great job of SHOWING how much they cared for each other. Every movie either Han or Luke were saving each others life, remember Solo in ESB, "Thats two you owe me junior!"
Anakin/Padme relationship again was handled badly because you never understood why either of them fell in love with other. I guess it was looks, but atleast that is a reason many people get together! Lucas should have spent AOTC not having them stand still and fall in love on Naboo, borrrring! Have them be tracked the whole movie by a bounty hunter who is after Padme, have them be in a sense of danger the whole movie, and show how great Anakin is as a Jedi by constantly getting them out of trouble. Have Padme be in love with Anakin cause she realizes he has many flaws, and he is very unpredictable, but he is probably one of the greatest jedis ever, this guy is a legend to the galaxy. Just show that he is in a sense marrying up to a Senator or Queen, he is going out with the prom queen. When ObiWan is on Kamino they are some of the best scenes in the movie, then it cuts to Naboo, and it just brings the movie to a halt, that is why many disdain AOTC.
I could go on all day, but my thesis for writing this is Lucas never really developed the relationships of these 4 main characters of the prequels, instead he was worried about Jar Jar fumbling and bumbling around in TPM, and digital Yoda doing Sonic the Hedgehog moves in AOTC, and then he had to rush the real stuff in ROTS, which does make ROTS the best out of the prequels, but if the first two movies were better developed ROTS could have been a classic.