In cinemas this week: Battle for humanity on Fast and Furious rollercoaster

The Fast And The Furious shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

With the ninth movie of the Fast And Furious franchise due out next year, and the 10th planned for 2021, and even a “female-centred” spin-off for some time in the future, there is clearly no lack of enthusiasm for the series of action films.

The latest is Fast And Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, filmed mainly in Glasgow, London, a Yorkshire power station and Shepperton Studios, at an astronomical cost.

It picks up where the 2017 film, The Fate Of The Furious, left off, with federal agent Luke Hobbs and ex-SAS operative Deckard Shaw, now a mercenary, teaming up.

They really don’t like each other, as you’ll have noticed in the endless TV commercials promoting it, but have to work together to stop Brixton Lore, an international terrorist who has superhuman powers, being “cyber-genetically enhanced”.

Apparently, he wants world domination, so Hobbs and Shaw are fighting to save mankind itself.

Almost 20 years after this whole thing began, when to many it seemed a mere tale of street-racing tough guys, Fast And Furious has broken all records and continues to defy those who think action and fighting isn’t enough to make a great movie.

Idris Elba plays Brixton Lore, and at six feet two and with plenty of kickboxing know-how from mini-series Fighter, he will presumably prove a formidable opponent for Hobbs and Shaw.

Sparks were certainly flying when the new film was first shown. It had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles a few weeks back, and half an hour in liquid spilled onto an electrical junction box and the film was stopped while a mild panic ensued.

Helen Mirren, who seems to be popping up in more movies than ever these days, plays Magadalene Shaw, Deckard’s mother, the same role she had in The Fate Of The Furious.

Jason Statham is Deckard Shaw, of course, with Dwayne Johnson playing Luke Hobbs and Vanessa Kirby is Hattie Shaw, Deckard’s MI6 agent sister.

“With drive and a bit of talent, you can move mountains,” says Johnson. “I know. I’ve done it.

“I like to use the hard times in the past to motivate me today – I’ll never, ever be full. I’ll always be hungry. Growing up, I had nothing for such a long time.”

It’s a great personal philosophy in a business that can spit you out when you suddenly become less fashionable.

And it’s an approach that is shared by the 51-year-old Derbyshire-born Statham.

“I’m enthusiastic and ambitious and I work hard,” he says. “I’m prepared to take risks and every movie that I do is a risk.

“I just gravitate to those more testosterone-filled sort of parts. It’s not like I’m dying to do work that’s taken seriously, and I’m not looking to become a thespian.

“It’s not what I’m looking for. I’m just looking to do quality work.”

Nobody was too shocked when Dame Helen Mirren got involved. She had happily gone on record to say she really fancied the whole thing.

“My great ambition is to be in a Fast And Furious movie,” she said before having her wish granted.

“I want to be a mad driver – my great claim to fame is I always do my own driving.”

Fast And Furious: Hobbs & Shaw is in cinemas from Thursday August 1.