I would have the movie end with Rey flying away to find Luke and the shot of Leia, Threepio, Poe, the resistance are standing there watching her fly off. It provides a nice set up for the next movie without being too much of an over the top TV series-style cliffhanger. Episode 8 could begin with her finding Luke. This way it ends with a group shot of hero’s standing together just like well… every other Star Wars movie.

I liked the ending as was when I first saw it and the music was great, but by the second time I watched it, it seriously felt like I was watching an episode of a corny TV series where they feel the need to tag an over the top cliffhanger onto the end after the story is basically done just to get people to watch next week. It was exciting to see Luke, but I would have preferred him to remain an enigma until we finally see him in Episode 8, rather than just tagging him on at the end just to say he’s in the movie.