I feel like I need to make time to watch this movie

If one has the mind for it, yes! TPM  has recently seen a substantial surge in popularity. That is due to the tone which is light and family-friendly (which accommodates the "Marvel" zeitgeist), the fact that this is the film that best marries practical effects and CGI (it has a lot more practical than TFA or R1), and of course that the kids from then are grown up now. Also it's an original and very imaginative film.

TPM is basically prequel Act 1, and thus shows the colorful heyday of the Republic and the beginning of it's downfall. TPM as well as Clones have a complicated political plot puzzle which - even though not that difficult to understand  - many SW nerds fail to decode (iz does not makez senz). I outline it here for TPM:

- 1. Republic intends to tax free trade routes - greedy Trade Federation does not want to pay more taxes (classic reasons for wars in history and literature);

- 2. Trade Federation thus blocks a vital trade route in protest against the taxation, so that the tax cannot be levied because no trade can happen anymore;

- 3. But really the blockade serves as a mere pretext for a bigger game: It is all about invading and occupying the rich planet of Naboo with military might (like historic trade federations did, eg WestIndian Comp or the Hanseatic League).

- 4. "I will make it legal": The Federation hopes to legalize the invasion/occupation by a treaty, and are assured by a powerful ally in the Senate (Sidious) that the treaty will be ratified by the corrupt elements in the Republic;

- 5. This is what the Federation believes it's all about. But really the occupation and the treaty are just smokescreens for the real phantom menace behind it all. Darth Sidious (Palpatine) wishes to create an interstellar conflict at his home planet of Naboo, block the Republic's decision making and let the Chancellor look incapable at his job, so that the incompetent and corrupted Chancellor gets down voted in anger by the Senate(vote of no confidence), and Sidious can then use the sympathy bonus as Naboo-delegate (victim card) to become Chancellor himself!

- 6. It works out fine for Palps (with a few hiccups like the queen surviving, and making the vote herself, and no bloodstained treaty to present to the senate). In the end Palpatine's theme is triumphantly played in major (boy choir), telling us that despite the merry happenings the dark side has won it's first decisive victory (imbalance of the Force).

It's pretty creative and clever writing drawn from historical incidents that one would not expect in an simplistic space opera, or any modern blockbuster.  Still, I find this film rather dull (4-Act structure) and kiddy-orientated, but still worlds better than the rushed, rehashed hackwork of The Force Awakens. 

So? One of the original critics of Episode 4 still thinks Star Wars is ridiculous 40 years later. It doesn't mean he's right either. 

www.startribune.com/forty-years-later-critic-who-panned-first-star-wars-movie-has-no-regrets/425001263/

Not that I'm interested in "defending" any of the Star Wars movies. I'm just pointing out that your argument is faulty. 

to be fair, Furious is not trying to make an argument, his ramblings merely serve as verbal cohesive to glue together the fallacies and adhoms. He's a certified master of that craft.