Your philosophies and ideas about character amount in film/series/game.

Another possibility is *not* wrapping things up in traditional narrative form. Open ended films can sometimes linger on after viewing, inciting extended conversation about what happened, where it could go, what will befall the characters as they continue on their way. Examples for this kind of film (with large casts) are Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy and, well, stuff by Robert Altman like Gosford Park and Short Cuts. P.T. Anderson's Magnolia might also fit the bill here, though that wraps up a little nicer than the previous three.

Aside from all that, you can always move backwards to more classic offerings too like, oh, Seven Samurai. There's straightforwardness and simplicity in its telling, yet they manage to present a huge assortment of characters and give each their time and allow for solid interaction with the others.


(And while not on the same wavelength, I did recently re-watch The Goonies after so many years and I was delighted how wonderfully chaotic it was. The action and chatter is nearly unceasing but somehow each character's narrative voice is heard in a way that kids at that time certainly associated with one or another of the cast. The motive and drive of the movie is worn on its sleeve but that makes it no less meaningful and it comes off as quite endearing and, again, every character is given their due.)

Jam it back in, in the dark.