morolf: The prequels may have been pretty bad movies, but the basic idea behind them was pretty interesting imo, also clearly different from the original trilogy, with the setting of the republic being subverted and replaced by the empire. Good concept, bad execution. Whereas with the recent movies (haven't seen them), the basic concept doesn't seem to make any sense.
The prequel movies were not great... in execution... but the story -- what Lucas was trying to accomplish -- was amazing. Taking a rollicking space-fantasy adventure akin to Buck Rogers (with a deeper "magic system") and creating a Shakespearean tragedy out of it was... amazing. No matter how much I disliked Lucas' choices in those first two movies, his premise always had my respect. The last of the prequels -- although having issues -- is a pretty effective end for that series.
The Disney films have no premise... no through line... no heart. Not one of these films was worth admission (and this from a fan who waited since 6 years old for a Han Solo movie!). They are as LOST as Abrams.
slbunny: I think The Clone Wars animated series did a lot to flesh out Lucas' ideas, and put into context a lot of the elements from the prequels.
I will say that for me personally the sequels lack a lot of the imagination and world building that made me fall in love with the franchise. Even with the budget constraints the original trilogy movies always made you feel like you were part of this huge living galaxy, whereas the universe in the sequels feels so small and empty in comparison.
The characters also don't have the same charm or likability as the originals. But I blame that more on the writing than the performances.
Lucas should have brought in directors for the prequels. Where THX 1138, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, and STAR WARS are brilliant, he just didn't seem to have the chops to pull off what he was trying to accomplish. Also, his choice of co-writers this time around was sadly lacking. But, as a storyteller -- guiding the series -- he's great... and Disney should have kept him in that capacity to finish the Skywalker Saga. Instead, they naively though he was over-the-hill, made it seem like they would use his outlines in order to make the sale, and discarded everything -- "stealing" unrelated elements for their "Frankenstein" STAR WARS -- upon writing the check.