It's hard enough for a movie to introduce one character that the audience cares about. Putting forward an entire cast that will engage the viewer is another thing entirely.
This year, a number of the biggest films relied on the effectiveness of their entire ensemble to make their impact. While some fell flat, others rose to the challenge and succeeded because of it.
But which ensemble is your favorite? Voice your opinion, and vote in the poll below.
"The Hunger Games"
One of the year's biggest movies also managed to have one of the biggest casts. Jennifer Lawrence lead a highly qualified group of actors to the fictional world of Panem for the 74th annual Hunger Games. When an overly made-up Elizabeth Banks and a drunken Woody Harrelson are just two of your characters, you know it's something special.
"Zero Dark Thirty"
Containing over one hundred speaking roles and one hell of a performance from guaranteed Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, Kathryn Bigelow's account of the search for Osama bin Lama features support acting all around from actors as varied as Joel Edgerton, Edgar Ramirez, and Chris Pratt.
"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2"
How often do you get to see a group of your favorite actors get their heads ripped off? Well, it happened during a trippy Alice vision in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," and it was delightful. It takes real acting ability to make you care so much when someone's head gets torn from their shoulders, and cared we did!
"The Avengers"
There was no other cast that defined film in 2012 like the finally-assembled Avengers. We waited years and years for the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe to united and take down some bad guys together, and against all odds, they did not disappoint.
"The Dark Knight Rises"
Starting with "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan turned the "superhero flick" into an "ensemble film." The tradition continued with the finale to his Batman trilogy, adding many of his "Inception" players into the mix.
"Skyfall"
A James Bond film typically centers on 007 with most of the peripheral characters taking on minor roles to either hinder or assist him in his adventure. For the latest entry, however, each character became essential to the overall architecture, and the finished product was absolutely fantastic.