Men in Black 3 (2012)

Josh Brolin doing a Tommy Lee Jones impression is worth more than everything else Men in Black 3 bought with its reported $215 to $250 million. The rest is a fairly standard time-travel errand. Jemaine Clement’s Boris the Animal is a one-note grump with a creature living in his hand, and the 1969 jokes mostly stop at the easy stuff, a Warhol party and a run-in with suspicious cops. Will Smith still sells every line, but he’s riffing on autopilot. Then Michael Stuhlbarg shows up as Griffin, a gentle alien who sees every possible future at once and frets about all of them, and the movie suddenly has a soul. The last few minutes land way harder than a sequel this messy has any right to. A 6.1 because Brolin and Griffin are worth the trip and the main plot isn’t. $318 says you overthink which grocery store line to stand in this week like Griffin running every possible future.

What works: Josh Brolin’s uncanny young K, Michael Stuhlbarg’s sweet, worried Griffin and an ending with real emotional weight.

What doesn’t: Boris is a dull, gross villain, the 1969 jokes are easy, and Will Smith often seems to be coasting through the setups.

Who it’s for: Fans of the first movie who want one more ride with J and K, plus anyone curious about the best celebrity impression in a blockbuster.