Again I hate Attack of the Clones, and the sequels are better in a lot of technical ways, but saying that that means the sequels overall are better is just crazy. I think people here 1. just wanted to see X Wings and TIE fighters again, and/or 2. are just being contrarian like Sparky said.
For all their faults, the prequels actually go somewhere. They have a clear end point where things have changed drastically and there’s a purpose to it all. You have the Clone Wars, Order 66, Palpatine’s rise, Vader’s creation, etc. You can say that that all comes from the original trilogy’s backstory, and that’s true, but it still had to be executed with some artistry and vision.
The sequels are in an even worse position in that way, because they inherit what should be a completely new status quo after the original trilogy, and then reverse back to repeating everything from the original trilogy again. And no, it’s not just The Force Awakens remaking Star Wars 1977 or Rise of Skywalker having Palpatine again. It’s full of rehashes. The Last Jedi repeats Hoth, repeats Yoda, and repeats the Emperor’s throne room before TROS repeats it AGAIN. The whole setup is designed to keep everything rebels vs. stormtroopers, X Wings vs. TIE fighters forever with no changes. The end status quo is exactly the same as it is immediately after the original trilogy, except with Rey being in charge of the Jedi instead of Luke.
The prequels were all about new ideas and new designs, for better or worse. Some of the ideas and designs were awful, but some of them were great. The same cannot be said for the sequels. All of the good designs are variations on what was already done in the OT. The aliens, props, ships, character designs are all forgettable other than maybe Kylo’s crossguard lightsaber.
I appreciate the practical effects where they appear, but the amount that that actually happens is overstated, and the amount of practical effects, particularly models and miniatures, that appear in the prequels is understated. The sequels are still full of CG, especially where ships or vehicles are involved. With the exception of Jar Jar, the gungans, and a handful of aliens, Phantom Menace feels just as tactile and real as the OT.
For idiotic nonsense plots, they’re roughly even. The political situation is just as confused and unexplained (within the movies themselves, not ancillary material.) The map to Luke doesn’t make sense, the Canto Bight fuel subplot doesn’t make sense, Holdo withholding information doesn’t make sense, absolutely nothing in TROS makes sense. There’s just as much childish drivel in TLJ (and arguably TROS) as there is in any of the three prequels, particularly in the Canto Bight scenes. It starts with a yo momma joke.