The original trilogy, while styled as '40s action pulp matinee, was based on the Hero's Journey, which is about as classic a mythological story-structure as you can get. The prequel trilogy meandered.
Lucas himself said (either in Newsweek or EW, I've forgotten), that when he came up with the story of Anakin becoming Vader, 60% of it needed to be in EpIII. Therefore, he explained, he had to take the other forty percent of the story and spread it out over two movies. "That gave me room to noodle around," was I believe almost his exact quote.
This is the reason the original three can be silly but are ultimately a good story, while the prequel three rarely even get up to the level of guilty pleasure. There's less there there.
I agree about Portman vs. Fisher in looks, but I prefer Leia to Padmé. Leia was a princess who could shoot a blaster, conduct negotiations, banter with a mercenary, and strangle Jabba. Padmé started a queen, demoted herself to senator, and ended as a helpless, heartbroken fashion victim.
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Any truth is better than indefinite doubt. — Sherlock Holmes
"The Adventure of the Yellow Face," Arthur Conan Doyle
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