Comparing any of the LOTR films to AOTC and ROTS is ridiculous.
Both series’ films are full of CGI, but AOTC and ROTS both have considerably more fully CGI characters and environments than any of the LOTR films.
The only movie you could make a case for when comparing the two series’ is TPM having effects that don’t hold up as well as LOTR because they have sort of an equal amount of practical/digital, but TPM came out in 1999.

Lord of the Rings also has some shocking CGI sequences that do not hold up, the difference is that Peter Jackson did a better job of blending practical and CGI than George did, so it isn’t as noticeable.

TFA was under the illusion that Star Wars = iconic imagery and practical effects, paying no notice of anything deeper than the surface that gave I - VI that ‘Star Wars feel.’
It looks like Disney/Lucasfilm is set to repeat itself with Rogue One.

George made a lot of mistakes and couldn’t fully grasp everything, but from what I’ve seen from this new ‘era’, the only person who really understands the essence of Star Wars is George.
The smart thing to do would have been to keep George away from directing duties and get him to collaborate with others, just like he did for the OT.
But alas, apparently all the audience cares about now is dumbed-down story telling with lots of “pew pews” and laser swords that make cool noises, so if it sells, nothing is going to change.

Maybe Episode VIII will surprise me and if it feels like it actually belongs in the Star Wars universe then I’ll forgive TFA and embrace the sequel trilogy, but for now the series for me is Episode I - VI, everything made after ROTS is fanfiction.