Sorry but no. The flashbacks are too long and too explanatory. They help lay bare the inconsistencies in the films. It's very clear that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were two different people in Lucas's mind when Star Wars came together in the mid-seventies or so. And cutting from "before the dark times" to Darth Maul destroys the unknown, the mystery of what actually took place. Darth Maul is a tinpot character without soul, incidental to the first prequel. A plot device.
I don't mind the inconsistencies because I don't have to do a side-by-side comparison, but this does just that. It's too much.
I also realised how sterile the prequel films look in comparison. Look at the skin tones. Star Wars was shot on film, the prequels were not.
<------- the guests who keep visiting this forum, yet somehow they don't register an account.
