I disagree that Kylo Ren's motives are better than Anakin's, but the actor is certainly doing a better job. What are Kylo's motivations, exactly?
As for the prequels, it seems Lucas spent them dancing around the real issues of the galaxy, and so the explanations we got were pretty lame. Who are the Trade Federation? What do they want? What is the state of the Old Republic? Is it salvageable? Or do the separatists - unbeknownst to them, manipulated by Sidius - have some legitimate basis for their war against the Republic? Where do the Jedi Order fit in? Do they try and influence the Republic, or do they just do its bidding? Who is Dooku, and what turned him to the Dark Side? How does Anakin, the main character, feel about all this?
The prequel movies were 3 hours a pop, but Lucas never intended to go into any of the above, so while the arc of the story is pretty interesting in the big picture view, the explanations we get are lame. The Trade Federation are "bad". The Old Republic is good. The Seperatists are evil. Dooku is an evil guy with no motive. The Jedi are 100% complicit in the Republic's war machine and the leaders of the clone army. Anakin is completely apathetic to all of this - just a talented force user who turns to the dark side when his personal live bottoms out.