(CNN) "It gets a little tedious after all these years," admits Katniss Everdeen about her life's obligations in her final line of dialogue after 547 accumulated minutes of "The Hunger Games" films. It's hard not to agree with her, nor to imagine that there are too many people -- Jennifer Lawrence included -- who will be sorry to see this overdrawn series end.

Not too many, that is, except for the folks at Lionsgate, who have tallied $2.315 billion in worldwide box-office grosses from their three previous adaptations of Suzanne Collins' blockbuster book trilogy and can count on raking in another $800 million, give or take, from this pervasively grim final edition to the series. But this cash cow is done.

What started off onscreen as a lush, outdoorsy, futuristic gladiatorial adventure has, to close things out, become a dark, often stifling tale of rebel insurrection that takes place largely underground or in dangerous urban ruins. Nominally fueled by accelerating anticipation of the long-awaited showdown between Katniss and nefarious President Snow (Donald Sutherland), "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2" accentuates the weariness of the original insurgents and wariness between the archer warrior and rebel leader Coin (Julianne Moore), who is far ahead of her cohorts in imagining a post-Snow Panem nation.

Lawrence would very much like for you to believe that she can't sing at all, and she tried to prove it in November 2014 with a wretched rendition of a holiday song on David Letterman's "Late Show." But in reality, Lawrence isn't half-bad. Her performance of "The Hanging Tree" from "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part I" debuted at No. 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in December.

16. She's humble – Lawrence would very much like for you to believe that she can't sing at all, and she tried to prove it in November 2014 with a wretched rendition of a holiday song on David Letterman's "Late Show." But in reality, Lawrence isn't half-bad. Her performance of "The Hanging Tree" from "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part I" debuted at No. 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in December.

When some of the star's nude photos were leaked in a hacking incident that affected several celebrities in August 2013, Lawrence called the "scandal" what it was: "a sex crime." "It is a sexual violation," she told Vanity Fair. "The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. Just because I'm a public figure, just because I'm an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It's my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting."

15. She'll call a spade a spade – When some of the star's nude photos were leaked in a hacking incident that affected several celebrities in August 2013, Lawrence called the "scandal" what it was: "a sex crime." "It is a sexual violation," she told Vanity Fair. "The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. Just because I'm a public figure, just because I'm an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It's my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting."

When walking the red carpet at a "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" premiere in the UK, Lawrence stepped off to the side to comfort a young fan in a wheelchair. Although the video that caught the moment doesn't capture their verbal exchange, Lawrence's gentle and compassionate gestures speak volumes.

14. She'll comfort a fan in a heartbeat – When walking the red carpet at a "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" premiere in the UK, Lawrence stepped off to the side to comfort a young fan in a wheelchair. Although the video that caught the moment doesn't capture their verbal exchange, Lawrence's gentle and compassionate gestures speak volumes.

When her hair became fried after taking abuse in the back-to-back films she's starred in, matter-of-factly chopped it off. "I cut it earlier, and it grew to that awkward gross length, and I kept putting it back in a bun, and I was like, 'well, I don't want to do this,' so I just cut it off," she explained to fans in November 2013 . "It couldn't get any uglier."

12. Even a fall looks good on her – She's the only actress who could turn tripping while going up the stairs to accept an Academy Award into what looks like the perfect couture ad.

Even though she was clearly blown away by meeting the legendary actor, Lawrence more than held her own. When Nicholson said "You look like an old girlfriend of mine," she quickly shot back, "Do I look like a new girlfriend?" Fabulous.

For someone in her early 20s, Lawrence seems to know who she is and what she wants out of her career. "There are actresses who build themselves, and then there are actresses who are built by others. I want to build myself," she told Portrait magazine. She is seen here fielding questions during "The Hunger Games" National Mall Tour fan event at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, in 2012.

We know it's called "acting" for a reason, but didn't you kind of buy that Lawrence and Bradley Cooper were really a couple after they appeared in "Silver Linings Playbook"? Cooper set the record straight by saying he was old enough to be her dad.

Lawrence knows all about the pressures to be thin in Hollywood and she's gone on record to say she doesn't play that game. "I knew that if I was going to be naked in front of the world, I wanted to look like a woman and not a prepubescent 13-year-old boy," she told ELLE . She looks pretty fit here at the Governors Ball after the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in 2011. As she told Harper's Bazaar UK in 2013, "If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet', I'm like, 'You can go f*** yourself.' "

Lawrence always seems to keep it genuine and fun with her acceptance speeches. Seen here receiving the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for "Silver Linings Playbook" at the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards, she thanked SAG for the naked statue and called Harvey Weinstein a rascal.

You don't get to be the "It Girl" without people taking notice and other celebs seem to genuinely like her. A few stars even tweeted support before and after she won the best actress Oscar. Here, she hangs out with producer Harvey Weinstein at the Weinstein Co.'s SAG Awards After Party in January 2013.

That face Sarah Jessica Parker is making in this photo? We know that face well, because we've made it before -- just about every time Jennifer Lawrence opens her mouth. For a woman with a resume full of dramas, she has some killer wit and comedic timing.

2. She's hilarious – That face Sarah Jessica Parker is making in this photo? We know that face well, because we've made it before -- just about every time Jennifer Lawrence opens her mouth. For a woman with a resume full of dramas, she has some killer wit and comedic timing.

Of course, the No. 1 reason to love Lawrence is her take-no-prisoners climb to Hollywood's A-list. She hasn't done it with a scandalous photo shoot or an attention-getting red carpet gown -- no, she's relied on her standout performance in movies like "Winter's Bone," "American Hustle" and "Silver Linings Playbook," with the latter earning her an Oscar.

1. She's crazy talented – Of course, the No. 1 reason to love Lawrence is her take-no-prisoners climb to Hollywood's A-list. She hasn't done it with a scandalous photo shoot or an attention-getting red carpet gown -- no, she's relied on her standout performance in movies like "Winter's Bone," "American Hustle" and "Silver Linings Playbook," with the latter earning her an Oscar.

Jennifer Lawrence has endeared herself to millions for her refreshingly down-to-earth personality, whether she's making bubbly talk-show appearances or speaking her mind at conventions . Sometimes being nice can be a problem, she writes in a recent essay, but that doesn't mean we won't remain fans. Here are 16 reasons why the Oscar winner is so beloved.

In fact, Collins' most surprising and satisfying achievement in the series' third installment was her handling of Coin, whose profile as a people's champion against an oppressive, tyrannical regime is increasingly contaminated by totalitarian impulses of her own and crafty ploys aimed at reducing Katniss to a mere figurehead for the revolutionary movement. This element is similarly the most engaging aspect of the latest film and, while it doesn't really occupy much screen time, it provides a dramatically arresting action climax.

Still, this is a dish that has been simmering over low heat for a long time, which makes for some pretty slow-going early on. Contributing most to the early sense of stasis is Josh Hutcherson's Peeta, who, since his liberation after being brainwashed by Capitol forces, must be strapped down while he babbles threatening diatribes against Katniss. She believes he can be brought around, but even as he improves he continues to be a loose cannon.

The members of Coin's inner circle seem well down the path to becoming mere yes-men, and here it must be noted that "Mock 2" marks the final film appearance of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died last year before completing his role as Plutarch Heavensbee, a former Snow ally now serving as Coin's right hand. He has very little to do here (also the case for Jeffrey Wright as another adviser) and it's hard to tell if digital sleight-of-hand is at work in any of his scenes or whether his lines were spoken by him or finessed by other means. Whatever the case, this great actor goes out with a whimper rather than a bang.

Even if Coin would prefer that Katniss stay behind to serve as a symbol rather than join the front lines of battle, the young warrior is utterly determined to kill Snow herself and shortly sets out with a little band of commandos that not only includes Peeta but Gale (Liam Hemsworth), who still doesn't know quite where he stands with her, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson, now with mere scraps of dialogue), little sister Prim (Willow Shields), Finnick (Sam Claflin), damaged Johanna (Jena Malone), camera-toting Cressida (Natalie Dormer), squad leader Boggs (Mahershala Ali) and others.

Once the squad emerges from a long initial spell underground, a videogame vibe takes over as the group pushes through the largely vacated Capitol toward Snow's palace. The rebels' scope reveals the whereabouts of countless "pods" that have been hidden throughout the city and will explode or set off other nasty reactions when approached. But many new pods continue to be added in unknown locations that quite efficiently reduce the commandos' numbers.

But Katniss will not be deterred, not after all she's been through, and at least the climax has been handled adeptly so that fans will be pleased and those who have never read the book might actually be taken by surprise. The Katniss we behold in the epilogue, set a few years later, is unquestionably an older, wiser person -- and gratefully retired from public life.

Looking back, and beyond the financial tsunami it created, "The Hunger Games" stands as a franchise that benefited equally from smarts, good fortune and arriving at a favorable moment in the zeitgeist, one that featured a young action heroine who could be embraced as a (reluctant) feminist fantasy figure. Anyone could have seen the vast cinematic potential in the story of a rural teenage girl plucked from her poor, simple life, thrust into repeated life-and-death survival competitions only to emerge as a star and, finally, becoming not only a symbol but an instrument of political revolution against a totalitarian regime. A bit of a bump ensued when the first entry's director and co-writer, Gary Ross, evidently couldn't or wouldn't commit to turning out scripts fast enough to ensure the annual release rate Lionsgate desired, but a consistent, reliable, if uninspired replacement was found in Francis Lawrence.

Although evidently not in the overbearing manner of EL James on the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie, novelist Collins maintained involvement and input (she received an unusual "adaptation" screenwriting credit on the final two installments) and good writers were hired to do solid carpentry, which they did. Aesthetic consistency was maintained by production designer Philip Messina and composer James Newton Howard working on all four films; after cinematographer Tom Stern left along with Ross, Jo Willems shot all of Lawrence's installments.

Even if the illustrious supporting players were just punching the clock much of the time, almost all of them -- Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks, Moore, Wright and, yes, even Hoffman when his character's allegiances shifted -- had their bust-out moments somewhere along the line. And then there's Sutherland, who, after exuding pestilential inhumanity and condescension for three and a half films, saves the best for last; even in the face of his unquestioned demise, he can only regard the upstart Katniss with a look of amused disdain, followed by profound ironic laughter that echoes Walter Huston's at the end of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; in fact, the moment is cut too short.

But all of the above factors mean little or nothing compared to the importance of Jennifer Lawrence having emerged as a star in this series. Just 21 when the first entry was released, and an Academy Award winner by the time the second came out, Lawrence is one of those rare performers who has it all: talent, looks, spirit, emotional accessibility and a spontaneous quality that helps every scene she's in come alive. Those who recognized this and saw that she could elevate "The Hunger Games" from mass market teen pulp to event status earned whatever they got -- which is a lot. Now that this series is over, Lawrence is theoretically free to do twice as many non-franchise films as she has over the past four years, which means she'll be able to work with directors other than Lawrence and David O. Russell. The line forms on the left.