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Despite not being the biggest fan of Emerald Fennell, I was so ready to love this. And while it’s undeniably stylish and committed to its vision, it didn’t fully sweep me up the way I’d hoped.
Synopsis:
Set against the bleak, windswept Yorkshire moors, the story follows the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Catherine (Margot Robbie), two kindred spirits whose love is as consuming as it is toxic. After Heathcliff leaves, Catherine is left behind and eventually marries the more socially acceptable Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). Years later, Heathcliff returns wealthy and transformed, driven by a burning desire to reclaim Catherine’s love and settle old scores. As class divides, jealousy, and revenge take hold, their bond leaves nothing but devastation in its wake.
What works:
🏰The atmosphere is immaculate. Fennell leans into the gothic elements, and the moors feel as dramatic and emotionally charged as the characters themselves. She reunited with production designer Suzie Davies and cinematographer Linus Sandgren, bringing back the same striking visual collaboration that made her previous film, Saltburn, feel so distinct. It really shows in how cohesive and visually rich the film is.
🏰The soundtrack is stunning! Charli xcx created a musical experience that is haunting, melancholic, and perfectly in tune with the film’s emotional intensity. It adds so much to the atmosphere and lingers long after the scene ends.
🏰Visually, it’s stunning. Every frame feels intentional, almost like a dark, moody painting.
What doesn’t work:
🐶 The pacing drags in places, especially in the middle stretch, where the intensity starts to lose momentum.
🐶While the film is visually stunning, it sometimes feels like Emerald Fennell is using that style to distract from some of the weaker writing. It sometimes feels more focused on aesthetic than substance.
🐶 The casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, along with stripping the character of his racial ambiguity, weakens much of the thematic strength and undermines the original social commentary in Wuthering Heights. That aspect is such a key part of what makes Heathcliff’s character so complex, and its absence takes away from the broader critique of class and otherness.
Final thoughts:
This version of Wuthering Heights is beautiful, and a little cold. I admired it more than I loved it. It’s the kind of adaptation that will absolutely have its fans… but for me, it never quite reached the emotional heights it was aiming for.
Chante JVR 
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