A lot of the CGI looks dated now, but those movies did more to push the technology forward than most movies of its era, like LOTR and Avatar did.
TFA was more of a throwback to the old days of practical effects and real locations. (Which I enjoyed as well.)
That is the main thing Cameron is saying. He's the kind of guy who puts visuals ahead of story, similarly to how people see Lucas as well. Most people really liked TFA, but it will never be mentioned as a particularly influential movie in the world of visual effects like say, Phantom Menace, The Matrix, LOTR, Avatar, etc.
And I can agree with most people that called the movie "safe". But I am hoping (and expecting) that Rian Johnson will take the saga in an exciting/dark/unexpected direction, like Empire did.