That movie was great. Anyone that isn't going to go see it, go see it. You will be completely missing out on the sheer fun involved. George Lucas takes it critically in the rear for a couple of his shortcomings all the time. The whole idea of SW is to be like the Saturday afternoon sci fi serial (read cheesy). The fact remains, what he does do well, he does better than anyone else. Go to see Star Wars for what is good about it. Please don't be too busy having opinions (whether unfounded or not) to take in an artist's work while they are alive and the work is fresh.
You could skip Ep I and Ep II, if you want. This movie is more strongly tied in with ANH than EpII. And the flavor of the older films is much more present here than in Ep I and II.
And, by the way, Leah Organa says that her mother died very young. She is talking about Bail's wife, not Padme. She doesn't know she is Padme's daughter. So, it is actually Bail's wife that dies very young.
This shouldn't be about GL not deserving the $3.50 it costs for one person to see this film. The effort of all the artists involved should be important. And they did one hell of a job. One hell of a job. GL had a tough act to follow with Return of the King. And follow it he did. This film will is the visual crown jewel of SW.