Have you watched the whole Plinkett review? Would be interested to hear where you think he is being unfair.
So tearing them apart based on other movies is like telling Andi Warhol he's stupid for painting Campbell's soup cans. He doesn't care what you think! He made the art he wanted to make
For maximum impact I recommend watching in pairs. First watch IV followed by III(intro with Rogue One if you have time). Pay close attention to repeated visual patterns and dialogue.