system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How could George Lucas make so universally hated movies after making one of the most loved ones? Is he a good or bad director?

I've begun hearing all the time that the prequels would've been good if they had good directing (which I agree with), but at the same time I hear so much love for things in the original movies (particularly the first one) with so many revolutionizing ideas, techniques and scenes. 

Did he just get old or stop caring about making movies (instead focusing on making money?), or is there some other reason why he managed to both hit a home-run and himself on the head with the bat?
gpt
The running theory is that Lucas is best when he has an ensemble of talented crew around him.

For the original Star Wars movies, American Graffiti, Indiana Jones, et cetera, he was one of many voices that came together to make the film.  For those, he was certainly the main voice, but he wasn't the only one.  

By the time the prequels came around, he had enough money and clout to make them all on his own.  He had nothing but "yes men" around him.  No one told him when he had a bad idea, or helped him re-write anything.  

One supplemental theory is that most of his early success was attributed as much to his relationship with Marcia Griffin, his former wife, as it is to his own skill and talent.