I hate it when people put down his use of CG, becuase he is the one who basically invented most special effects in the first place. He used them in the OT, but no one complained. No one said "Those special effects have gone to his head and he can't tell a story."
Just a quick response, AWK, but in my opinion George invented a company where some highly talented individuals improved on the artistry which had come before (ie: Harryhausen). So, it's not quite right to say he invented special effects, although his influence on them is obvious.
Also, I seem to recall a couple of critics, notably Paulin Kael (correct my memory, please, if I'm wrong) whose review of 'Star Wars' saw through all of the smoke and mirrors and accused Lucas of being the very technological terror he was warning people against. Praise for the effects was definately not universal...