Come on, now, you can't be unaware of how the fanbase for these films has enjoyed the effects and action of the last three but think they are hugely inferior to the original and Empire Strikes Back? Return of the Jedi is considered a HUGE letdown by most fans, and Phantom Menace is even worse. You may have liked them but that doesn't mean the prevailing emotion from the last three movies has been disappointment after the high quality of the first two.
To stay on the topic of the films, I think Return of the Jedi was a victim of its producer's success. I'm not sure SW had really become the transcendent gig when he was making The Empire Strikes Back, although those snow scenes were sort of ridiculous.
I'd rather watch American Graffiti, to be honest with you.
For a newer example, see the Matrix movies. The first one could stand on its own, the second one pickled your brain, and the third one was like a damn cartoon.
I just think it was a blanket statement. I find it difficult to think that someone knows whether or not "most" fans were disappointed with the last two. Near as I remember, they did fine at the box office. It has just been my experience that film critics are generally the least qualified people on Earth to criticize films.