Cert 12A 136mins Stars 3

Get your motor running for the long haul, as the formula one of petrol powered action becomes an endurance rally.

Now on it’s eighth lap since 2001 and with no destination in sight, it’s another rigidly marshalled parade of stage managed thrills. As its familiar faces are manoeuvred around a global circuit of locations, they deliver the expected lame banter and homilies on family and respect.

Vin Diesel is back in the driving seat as former criminal and professional street racer, Dominic Toretto. While enjoying his honeymoon, he’s blackmailed into betraying his crew and stealing a weapon of mass destruction.

As a cyber-terrorist and criminal mastermind called Cipher, Charlize Theron comes equipped with a god complex, a plan worthy of a James Bond villain, and a fired up nuclear sub.

Helen Mirren pops by with a weapons grade cockney accent, and Kurt Russell offers more fun than many of the regulars.

Bald buddies Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham are hot on Dom’s trail, leading Dom’s abandoned friends and family. These minor characters have too little to contribute, and act as a brake when the action needs to accelerate.

As the motorised mayhem moves from the heat of Cuba to the arctic ice of Russia, it’s kept on the road by its hardworking pit team of stunt people, mechanics and CGI wizards.

Fast 8 will have to burn rubber to overtake the turbo charged success previous movie. Furious Seven raced to a colossal £1.2 billion at the box office in 2015.

However it lost the race to be champ that year, coming home behind Jurassic World and Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. With Beauty and the Beast already breaking records, I doubt this film will feature in this year’s top three.

Nevertheless, this pileup of preposterous pandemonium provides robust mechanical fun for its large family of fans.