ESB was NOT written by GL, he only made the story. Leigh Bracket wrote the first draft and after she died, Kasdan finished it. So far GL only wrote ANH and TPM.
Well, you know how I feel. TPM not all bad, but the least of all four so far IMHO. I think the author had some very good points. His comments about GL listening to fans is a dodgy one though. I mean, if you have a vision you should make it. Having "10.000 opinions" does not contribute to quality. Input from others is always good, I think, but it depends on the way it goes. But from fans...? I dunno....
You see, the weird thing is that if you have a vision and it's succesful, no one will question what you did and how persistent you were with what you wanted. When it's not received all that well, you are to be blamed for being too self-centered.
I watched some preparatory footage from Jurassic Park and Spielberg was also surrounded by yes men. He NEVER listens to what anyone says, and everyone says "Yes" to everything he says. Yet, the man is a genius, no one would ever question his approach even when a film is not such a big success. He has made too many films and will make a lot more to get some credit. GL only directed four films so far in almost 30 years (excluding AOTC) and when your last one does not meet creative standards (whatever they are) you're open for criticism. So does that justify a different appraoch to making films? No, I think not. I hope GL learned from the TPM experience and makes his vision work better this time.
But I too have this "make or break" feel over AOTC, but I must say so far I have a lot of confidence.