LOTR 2 attempted to make us care about the women and children in Helm's Deep; the Matrix sequels did the same (that is, 10 times more) with Zion.

In both cases, I'm not sure whether leaving that out would've been a better option.
Can't say I cared much about the people on Theed - it was a McGuffin both for the movie, its main characters, and Palpatine. The movie should've had some other focus than this side plot, but as such, I didn't feel any need to see scared children or prison camps.