I've never thought it was a good idea to watch Ep.4 in the context of episodes 1/2/3. It's like watching a battle of the bands between Metallica and the Mozart String Quartet. You just can't appreciate one while being bombarded by the other. I'd be much more interested in someone's reaction to seeing them in the order they were made.

And it's not at all surprising that many people these days are reluctant to watch Star Wars. The whole franchise and saga have gotten so silly that people assume the whole lot is a bunch of juvenile silliness.