Why 'Hunger Games' is a great film franchise

"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" opens Friday, bringing the cinematic adaptation of Suzanne Collins' hit novels to a close. What began as a modestly budgeted, fledgling franchise has become a full-blown phenomenon, and with good reason. Here's why "Hunger Games" matters:

• It made Jennifer Lawrence a superstar. Most of us first saw her on the 2011 Oscars red carpet, nominated for a movie we didn't see ("Winter's Bone"). A year later, she was Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire. We loved her, and so did most of Hollywood - David O. Russell would cast her in "Silver Linings Playbook," which won her a best actress Oscar. She was nominated again for best supporting actress for Russell's "American Hustle" in 2013, and she has another buzzworthy movie coming this Christmas called "Joy," directed by - you guessed it - David O. Russell. She also took on the role of Mystique in the ongoing "X-Men" franchise and, perhaps most importantly, is hilarious in interviews.

• It brought serious sci-fi to the "Twilight" crowd. The young viewers who swooned for Edward and Bella took a step toward adulthood with Katniss, who leads a revolution against an oppressive regime in a dystopian future. A common sci-fi trope, to be sure, but handled far more maturely here than in, say, the "Divergent" series. Let's hope "Hunger Games" is the first step toward bigger and better things for young readers and viewers.

• It let us say goodbye to Philip Seymour Hoffman. The beloved actor, who died Feb. 2, 2014, will appear on the big screen one last time this weekend as Plutarch Heavensbee, the gamemaker-turned-revolutionary who was a key ally to Katniss in last year's "Mockingjay - Part 1."

I am confident the final film will be a satisfying conclusion. It is my fervent hope that executives at Lionsgate don't get hungry for more "Games" and plan spinoff and prequel films, and I bet Collins and Lawrence agree.

A funny gem resurfaces

Remember the Billy Crystal movie "Mr. Saturday Night"? The 1992 dramedy directed and cowritten by its star wasn't a hit in theaters and hasn't enjoyed much of a second life on cable TV, but it was one of my favorites as a teenager - and it even earned David Paymer an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

Coming to Blu-ray for the first time on Tuesday, "Mr. Saturday Night" stars Crystal as Buddy Young Jr., a fictional comedian in his golden years (and a lot of bad old-age makeup) looking back at his life as a Borscht Belt regular and at his strained relationships with his brother (Paymer) and wife (Julie Warner).

It's hokey, it's corny, it's more than a little sentimental. It's also unremittingly funny, and deserves a spot on the shelf next to "When Harry Met Sally" and "City Slickers.

"Mr. Saturday Night" is also available for digital rental from Amazon Instant Videso.

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.