I have to wholeheartedly agree with the OP.
When I first played beta and ran Esseles for the first time i thought "Wow, can't wait for the other AWESOME flashpoints!".
But Esseles, sadly, was the exception, not the rule. The whole dialogueing, little cut-scenes, action packed dense atmosphere, was what really set the flashpoint apart for me from rather standard WoW dungeons.
I don't mind a few flashpoints like say, Athiss, straight forward without much dialogue - don't get me wrong. But I feel like Esseles was a bit of an advertisement to get you hooked (which for me totally worked) - the other flashpoints I've played so far (until and including Cademimu), all feel like they're sloppily done last minute before launch.
I like how they look, I like how they play out mechanically (except the already mentioned elevator), I like the loot, but apart from Esseles nothing really sets these flashpoints apart from other games' dungeons and that I find... very disappointing.