See, I think that the prequels have a couple of problems. They suffer from a push-pull; like Sergio Leone, I think Lucas started to want to have bigger ideas and even political ones, but they were at odds with the kids adventures he’d created to be the Star Wars world. Also, I think the main problem is this: the prequels have many interesting concepts and ideas in them, but their writing and direction fall so flat. Lucas still stages action sequences well, but simply has no skill with actors or dialogue. As a result, the cool, archetypal, epic battle between good and evil is mired in the whining of Hayden Christensen (May not be his fault, don’t know, with the character he’s stuck with, it’s hard to tell) and inane dialogue: “You underestimate my power!” “Love won’t save you.” “You’re breaking my heart!” Cringe-worthy, almost laugh-out loud funny dialogue doesn’t sell the good story (and it often is a good story) that Lucas came up with. He’s a great idea man and a good producer, but he needs other people to help him execute the ideas well. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot of potential there. I wouldn’t hate the prequels at all if they weren’t part of the reason for the constant changes to the OT, however. At worst, I’d probably be indifferent to them.