Compared to the OT, the PT has a sort of disconnectedness between the images on the screen and the music. This is due to several factors, but the most telling one, in my estimation, is the difference in the way the two trilogies were made. On the originals, the edit was pretty much locked down when it came time for the scoring sessions. The main visual difference between the final film and the one projected in the studio was an occasional unfinished effects shot. Williams could conduct the orchestra to keep important musical beats in sync with the action in the film.

With the prequels, however, large portions of the movie were extensively re-edited *after* the music was recorded. This necessitated the cutting of the music to make it (more or less) fit with the film or, in some cases, replacing the music written for a scene with a cue lifted from another sequence (or even another movie). Mix that with the different priorities that come into play when a sound designer is the editor, and you get a vastly different film-&-music experience.

Contrast this with the chase scene near the end of "E.T." The orchestra's best performance was on a take that was slightly off the timing of the film. Spielberg decided to use the music as it was, and tweaked the film editing to conform it to the score.