Ok, admittedly, it is pretty (probably too) dark, but just for the record, genocidal child murderer=redeemable, but rapist=unredeemable? Remember, even putting aside the fact that in the original series, he cuts off his son’s hand, tortures his daughter, and blows up Alderaan, in the existing prequels, he slaughters a tribe of sandpeople and kills all the Jedi students, some of whom are no older than 5 or 6.
Especially since a jilted Anakin isn’t waving his hand like Alec Guinness would, patiently explaining that You Want To Be With Me.
Actually, I like some Jar-jar. He provides some pretty good comedy relief. The scene where Qui-Gon catchs Jar-Jars tongue is hilarious. The problem is just that there’s *too damn much * Jar-Jar.
I do agree that Anakin is a bit too young in Epi one.
Some scenes are fabulous, like where the two Jedi’s almost destroy the entire ship by themselves. The under-water world.
Over-all, some better editing is all that I’d ask for. A bit more Darth maul, less Jar-Jar, Anakin a bit older.
I have to say, I have no real problem with the basic story line Lucas envisaged, but the execution leaves much to be desired. Rather than making it more dark and nasty (rape? too much!) I would go for more mature and intelligent. So for Ep I, with the same basic story line in place:
- Have Anakin be 15 or so in Ep I, so that it’s not so creepy that Padme digs him and so he’s less irritating.
- No Jar Jar or Gungans at all. Instead, have Qui Gonn and Obi Wan make their way to Theed by sneaky effectively through the terrain, perhaps stealing a driod transport or something (could make a better chase scene than the underwater crap).
- Since there are no Gungans to provide an army for the battle scene, have there be a militia of sorts, raised by the people of Naboo under the direction of that captain Panaka or whatever is name was guy.
- Make the pod race more gritty, maybe on speeder bikes instead or in pod cars.
- Have Darth Maul survive, so that Obi Wan can confront him later (Ep II or III).
- Overall have Anakin present the figure of a troubled but gifted youth, driven by emotions and impulses but generally good-hearted, who is powerful with the Force, but untrained (obviously).
For Ep II:
- Show Anakin growing in his ability to command the Force, and show him having difficulty rationalizing Jedi teachings about patience and calmness because of his lack of experience.
- Do not at all have him be whiny and petulant. That destroyed the movie for me, more than anything else. He should be strong, but rash, with the right ideas but the wrong impulses on how to do things (rogueish, I guess).
- I have no problem with the Clone Wars themselves, or how they were set up (I actually think it’s an interesting idea), so keep that story line.
- Have Palpatine use Darth Maul to track down and kill influential Jedi in a sub-plot, leading to a confrontation with Obi Wan where Darth Maul gets killed.
For Ep III:
- Wouldn’t change much, except maybe some of the good suggestions above about increasing Bail Organa’s presence.
Just some ideas. I think Lucas had some great ideas and story elements, but I really think his undoing was his refusal to grow up and recognize that this type of story (tragic downfall of a powerful figure set against the backdrop of war) is not for kids really at all. It needed to be told maturely, which pretty much is only evident in Ep III, and which was definitely the best of the prequels because of it. All the crap thrown in for kids and marketing purposes ruined it.
I agree with most of what was said here. The biggest problem was that somewhere in all the new Star Wars movies, they forgot about the WAR!!
There was no Battle of Hoth or Battle of Yavin or Battle of Endor. At least not in the sense that you said “WOW! These people are really getting FUCKED UP!” No pilots screaming in their cockpits as they crash into a Star Destroyer. No ominous approach of indestructible AT-ATs. Not even a planet being wiped out by a superlaser.
Every battle had the sterileness of a videogame. Every shot of the fighting was set up to have as many objects (usually clones, Gungans and comically retarded robots) on the screen as possible. And are we supposed to belive that futuristic infantry combat will be fought with by soldiers with blasters formed up in Roman phalanxes?
Be that as it may, I would still like to know what happens in Episode III.
Oh, yeah. Me too! 
The Death Star enters a space-time anomaly, and is transported back in time 20 years. It vaporizes Tatooine, and Darth Vader vanishes in a puff of paradoxical acausality.
The End.