KARACHI: Mummy 3 is here! It seems cine-goers love to see people being eaten by insects, buried alive and ugly skeletons fighting like warriors. Humans have a penchant for the unusual; the more bizarre the story, the more popular it will be.

But it must have certain ingredients to make it wholesome and palatable, however unusual and gruesome it gets, and those ingredients are: adventure, which includes lots of heads rolling, good music, passable acting, fantastic settings and of course good looks. Follow the formula and you have a hit on your hands. Gone, it seems, are the days when you only required a good story, simple sets and of course a bit of glamour, which goes without saying.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor premiered at a local cinema late Thursday night. Sequel to two very popular films, the crowd made it clear that they had seen the previous ones and were ready for more. And they were not disappointed. The backdrops were breathtaking and as expensive as they can get. From the mountains of the Himalayas — shot in Canada — to the deserts of China, it was pure, gory adventure from the word go.

But this time the Mummy came from the Far East — a very cruel emperor from China who has been mummified for 2000 years by a wronged sorceress. And he just doesn’t want to take over the whole of China; he wants the whole world at his feet. To assist him he has a whole army that lies buried in the desert waiting for his command.

But before he can do that he has to achieve eternal life by dipping into the eternal pool located in the fabled Shangri-La. Which, of course, he does, as that is the only way he can raise the army that has been buried for millennia.

And thus ensue epic battles, a mixture of martial arts, yetis, un-dead soldiers, witchcraft, bad guys, and the good guys prevailing over evil.

To lessen the heavy duty effect of constant warfare, comic relief comes in the way of the hero’s brother-in-law Jonathan and the skeleton warriors, who are forever picking up their heads or limbs.

Having exhausted the possibilities in an Egyptian setting, the producers found a director who could take the O’Connells out of Africa and into Asia, and continue with the romantic adventures set in exotic places.

Director Rob Cohen has lived in Asia and his love for anthropology, Chinese history and culture helped him bring authenticity to some of the scenes.

The cast includes a few new faces with the famous actor Jet Li playing the very bad emperor. Brendan Fraser continues with the main role, though the actress playing his on-screen wife has changed.

An action thriller that is very entertaining for everyone, one has to say in all honesty that The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is more for the teen crowd.

Those having seen the previous two Mummy films will agree that the first one had more punch and more excitement.