For me saber fights have always been a means to tell a story. Give me the Obi/Vader confrontation in ANH over the overly produced/fluffy/shallow duels in the PT any day of the week. That's not to say the choreography couldn't have been improved/spruced up to look a little more interesting in that confrontation (ie maybe tighter editing, Obi-Wan not doing the world's slowest spin attack), but it's good enough for the narrative/messaging.
All three of those major confrontations (ANH/ESB/ROTJ) are far more memorable and meaningful than any of the overlong fights we see in the PT.. because of what they mean for the characters involved. Not to say they're all just bad (EP1-3), but I don't really remember them (the soundtrack is what sticks in my mind more than anything else). The only PT duel that even means anything significant is the Anakin/Obi duel in ROTS, and even that is bogged down, filled with extreme absurdities and way, way too long. When in all honesty, that should have been, hands down, the best saber duel in SW history. The potential was certainly there for it.
The ST follows in a similar vein (established in the OT) and provides significant character defining moments alongside/interwoven in its combat.
In terms of actual choreography, I greatly prefer what we see in the OT/ST. They feel more grounded and weighty, like each swing could be lethal. However, TROS is the first time, outside of the PT, that we've seen two powerful Jedi/Sith fighting in their prime, so I like that the fight feels a little closer to the speed and swiftness of the PT without jumping off the deep end.
There is nothing more boring than characters literally standing with their feet planted right in front of each other, swinging away at lightspeed. Say "they're predicting each other's moves" or "they're so advanced in their abilities", or whatever else, but this is not what I imagined a duel between a Jedi and Sith to be, before we were shown. It just looks fuckin' dumb, full stop.. no one fights like this. There are a number of ways to display their expertise/control of the Force while still feeling grounded/believable.
I look forward to TROS likely picking and choosing pieces from the OT and PT to strike a meaningful balance between flash and memorable character development/narrative revelations.
