It might seem a foreign concept now to have romantic films that don’t star Katherine Heigl, that don’t use the concept of Friends with Benefits and that don’t follow twentysomethings trying to “have it all”. Alas, it does happen, and there have been little gems of rom-coms in the past decade or so (I’m looking at you 500 Days of Summer) but very few relationships have seemed so effortless since the magnificent Jesse and Celine played be Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in Richard Linklater’s masterpiece Before Sunrise, following two travellers who meet on a train, and make an undeniable connection. Almost a decade later, the two encountered one another in Before Sunset. The two the pinnacle of the ‘love conquers all’ scenario. Which is perhaps why everyone was so immersed in their previous two outings. Yet, what makes Before Midnight even still more magical is that it’s realistic; relationships do have a honeymoon period and sometimes reality sets in. But does that mean you’re in love any less?

Shakespearean comedy is certainly something hard to manage today. Undeniably, its humour is much of its time, and consequently can often seem rather cheap and overdone when presented to modern audiences. But although many think it odd for Joss Whedon, the man who has established a cult status for his portrayal of comic book heroes, and of course his hugely successful vampire series (before vampires were seemingly everywhere and incredibly irritating) Buffy, to head-up a Shakespearean project, leaving every ounce of fantasy and superpowers behind. Yet Whedon proves that he is the perfect fit for the bill.