they really weren't, people are manbabies though
I recently watched them through again and, IMO, they are awful. They were heavily criticized in era for oddities Lucas thought were good - like midichlorians, Jar Jar, Anakin being creepy, and cornball dialogue. Most of those still stand IMO despite some good performances and segments.
It's a sensible story, I'll give it that, he at least had a plan from start to finish, but some of the themes, dialogue, and characters are just awful by most standards. I know they've recently gained more acceptance but I have a hard time seeing past some of the awful dialogue especially compared to actually good content. It's propped up by the performances and few good moments, but it's hard to get past just how cheesy and out of place some of it is.
Some of the lines sound straight out of movies like
Bad CGI Gator