I recently watched Ep I and II back to back. I came up with the following startling conclusion: Clones is a much worse movie than Phantom. Don't get me wrong, both are alarmingly bad, but the best I can put it is that Phantom, with some pretty radical changes would at least be rescued. Nothing could be done for Clones. It is pointless, directionless and dull, and has significantly worse dialogue and acting than Phantom throughout. Don't get me wrong, the worst bits of Phantom (*that* character, Greg Proops, etc.) are significantly worse than the worst bits of Clones, but TPM has a few pretty good bits - Clones has practically none. Where Phantom has the podrace, which could be 'rescued' by removing any CGI cartoon characters (die Proops die), nothing could rescue the Super Mario Brothers bit of Clones. Where Phantom cuts away to Maul/Jinn/Kenobi, the arena battle has 3PO's "comedy" ruining any pace or suspense in that fight itself. And don't get me started on boosters on R2 and Yoda the green rubber ball.
Two messes of movies, just, in the light of a few years for the hurt to go away (Phantom being such a disappointment, but such low expectations for Clones), the order of badness as reversed from what I had initially thought.
Much as I loved Sith, it still wasn't in the league of the Holy Trilogy. It han't the soul, the dialogue was much worse, and Hayden was still wooden as hell.