Avatar is not likely to even outdo the 1st Avatar but I think James Cameron is still king when it comes to innovation in large scale innovation in action cinema.
Avatar 2 and its sequels are bound to astonish once again. TFA is a nice fan service but it is a tribute rather than anything wholly original. Avatar may be derivative but Cameron works his ass off to impress with his 3D presentation. JJ has the original franchise which always have major potentials for improvement in the area of acting, editing, fx, even storytelling. The major creative elements, the foundation of the universe, already laid down by Lucas. JJ just need to carry on and tweak here and there.
Still a funny gif