In my opinion, the prequels were a mess due to bad direction, acting and writing. Plus it was a story that did not need to be told. The story of Anakin is fine as a backdrop to the original trilogy, but not as interesting when made into a trilogy of its own. Plus it doesn't help that Anakin is thoroughly unlikeable. The plot is a bit of a mess and even great actors deliver terrible performances. It just doesn't have the right feeling of Star Wars. Also, the reliance on a lot of green screening, makes it feel like the actors never are in a real location, and this affects their performances. While such effects are now a common part of Hollywood films, movies such as many of the Marvel movies don't seem to suffer from this issue as much as the prequels do. You can tell that the actors in the prequels are acting to an empty void.
The Disney trilogy started off pretty strong, with very likeable characters (including the villain). Yes, the story starts off as a rehash of A New Hope, but I feel it was necessary to first nail the feeling of a Star Wars movie and to start on familiar ground. But right after The Force Awakens the plot becomes a complete mess. Plot lines are abandoned or killed off entirely, and with the third movie it becomes clear that there's no righting this ship. Like a beached whale, the plot ends up flopping around aimlessly, making a huge mess. I blame the second movie (The Last Jedi) mostly for this incredible disaster. I feel the mess that is the third movie, is a direct result of the previous movie, which left the plot with nowhere to go to.
I don't know where they will take the franchise next, but perhaps they should focus on first telling a good story in one movie, before focusing on filling some sort of trilogy quota. They need a good screenplay and a director with the right vision.
