When you think about it, Ep. 1 wasn't that bad. Lucas has stated that the Star Wars Saga is about Anakin/Vader. Ep. 1 did a good job of showing us Anakin's first step, and why he's afraid of losing his loved ones. Also, we are introduced to the story of the Sith ... and we see the first phase of Palpatine's plans for the galaxy! And, you, got to admit, Darth Maul was a pretty darn cool character....