I don't find Liam Neeson compelling at all in TPM.

He comes across as tired and bit confused. Ian McDiarmid and Pernilla August seem to be the only actors in that film that is doing anything right.

A better child actor

with her as his mother could have carried a whole film and Ian only drops the ball when the Halloween mask is put on him in ROTS.

I don't care what's CGI and what's practical.

George derided Godzilla (1998) by saying "story matters".

Godzilla (1998) for all it's faults is a much better film than any of the Star Wars prequels in the form they currently take. The characters are better drawn, the situations feel more immediate and it's got a story that sort of makes sense.

Even if at it's worst it looks like Barney running around a warehouse full of tall boxes.