kai2: For instance, I'd say the prequel trilogy is horribly written but the basic story (and most of the plot points) is great.
Lucas has never been a strong screenwriter; he's always used co-writers and dialogue "sweeteners"
Personally, I think all of the OT are well-scripted and the story is well-told. The prequels are pretty poorly scripted but the general story is well-told (and IMO taking a rather simple space fantasy and molding it into an almost Shakespearean tragedy is amazing).
...You felt the basic story ofthe prequel trilogy is great?
I guess it comes down to subjective opinion here, but...I...guess I strongly disagree with you? :D
I'm speaking from memory here, but from what I remember of the first movie:
"The Trade Federation is attacking Naboo, and the Jedi go to save it.
The Jedi are necessitated to go to Tatooine with the Queen of Naboo.
The Jedi find a force-sensitive boy who helps them fix their ship by doing podracing.
The Jedi take the boy to be jedified but that is refused, they take the boy and save Naboo from the Trade Federation with his rather absurdly provided help."
This nothing spectacular, and I can barely remember the 2nd movie, and the basic plot of the third movie is "The Republic falls, the Jedi Order falls, and Anakin falls to the dark side".
But then again, your definition of "great storytelling" doesn't seem very meaningful in terms of the final product- sort of like someone being a great "idea man".
As a whole, I'd say the storytelling of the prequel trilogy overall is nothing great. Lucas painted himself into a corner with having to tell the story of the rise and eventual fall of Anakin Skywalker, but the fact of Anakin Skywalker having to fall at the end wasn't particularly amazing storytelling, it was a foregone conclusion, nor are the details of how he fell (they were in fact particularly stupid, and from a basic storytelling perspective, worked hard to ruin his redemptive arc at the end of the original trilogy).