THey are horribly bad, but, I did rewatch them recently with my daughter, since I was introducing her to Star Wars... so I sat through them all, even the prequels...
Yes, the dialogue is terrible, the chemistry is non existent in the main “love story”, and all sorts of other problems exist.. but being removed from the initial disappointment of them by nearly 20 years now.. and being a good bit older, I am able to see the story that Lucas was trying to tell within it, he just wasn’t able to get it on film. He should have hired writers, instead of insisting he write the whole thing himself, he just can’t write dialogue to save his life... While the boring bureaucratic maneuvering in the Senate is relevant to the larger story plot, far too much screen time seems to be dedicated to it... and the ridiculous scene forced in there just to take a shot at Bush was pointless.
THe actor who played Skywalker was not capable of the emotional range that was required for the role (or he was directed improperly)... His move to complete rage and hatred when he turned was not believable... Lucas never really appropriately foreshadowed the evil within him appropriately.... I assume that was what he was trying to do when he had him slaughter those that killed his mother.. but someone who’s battling for his eternal soul, would probably be having more problems than this one incident... He tried to play his angst and being held back as this angle I guess as well, but reality, the guys an obedient little toadie for the most part, without any real flashes of hate until his mother is killed... Could have played him with darker influences and issues throughout his life.. instead of a few things.
The problem with Prequels in general is, we all know how they have to end... So there is no real shock... everyone knows that Skywalker must turn, we know he will become Vader... so you have to focus on the journey there, rather than simply the culminating scene, and I think Lucas missed that among other things... but I can see the story he was trying to tell and its not great, but its not the worst either.
Again the prequels are BAD... make no mistake, but there actually was a reasonable concept there, just blown in execution.
I agree with one exception, and it may have been accidental on the part of the young actor playing Anakin in Episode I. In the scene where he is in front of the Jedi council and Yoda decides that he is too old and will not be trained, young Anakin is seen to narrow his eyes and furrow his brow in anger and defiance just slightly in a way that foreshadows his character
It seems almost unintentional, almost as if the actor was naturally reacting, like a young boy told by his parents he can't have the new toy.