Don't get me wrong. Properly acted scene on the real set is pretty much the best option. But as you said, it may take a lot of takes and time. There are factors, such as poor direction from the director, lack of chemistry between the actors, improvisation etc., which cannot be predicted/solved in pre-production. ESB took 6 months of filming to make it right. Not many can afford that. I guess picking a competent director who can direct cast and crew to make the scene work in a few takes is crucial. Still you never know about the actors, especially if they are inexperienced and have never worked with each other before.

Anyway I don't inherently regard films above CGI based stuff. I am a fan of story based video games. They can have just as great storyline and characters.