Wuthering Heights (2026) — Film Review

A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.

I’ve mostly enjoyed Emerald Fennell’s previous films, so despite all the controversy surrounding this adaptation of Wuthering Heights, I tried to go in with an open mind. I really wanted to like it — and in some ways, I did — but I couldn’t ignore how far it drifts from what made the original story so unforgettable.

First of all, there’s no denying that this is a beautiful film. Visually, it’s stunning. At times it feels like watching a distorted gothic fairytale, with this very stylised, almost dreamlike quality. The atmosphere is probably the film’s strongest asset, and there are moments where it genuinely pulls you in just through how it looks and feels.

The problem is that, beyond the visuals, it doesn’t really feel like Wuthering Heights. Fennell takes a lot of liberties with the source material, changing both the characters and the plot to the point where only the bare bones of the story are left. For a novel that’s so much about yearning, bitterness, and revenge, this version leans heavily into erotica instead. The central relationship loses a lot of its emotional intensity and ends up feeling more like a series of passionate moments rather than something truly obsessive or destructive.

There are also points where the film shifts into these slightly bizarre or jarring moments that feel like they’re there more for shock value than anything else. I know Fennell has said she was inspired by how she interpreted the story as a teenager, and honestly, that makes a lot of sense. At times, it really does feel like an adolescent version of Wuthering Heights — more like gothic fanfiction than an actual adaptation.

That said, the performances are better than I expected. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are both solid as Catherine and Heathcliff, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well they worked in the more emotional scenes. Their chemistry is definitely strongest when the film slows down and lets them actually connect, rather than leaning into the more overtly sexual side of their relationship. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were both a bit too old for the roles. Personally, I think Jodie Comer and Dev Patel would have been a much better fit.

The supporting cast — including Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell — all do good work, but the way their characters are written makes it hard to fully connect with them. If you’re familiar with the novel, the differences are pretty distracting.

Honestly, the younger cast are probably the highlight of the film. Charlotte Mellington, Vy Nguyen, and Owen Cooper bring a level of sincerity and emotional clarity that the rest of the film sometimes lacks. Their storyline feels much closer to the tone the film should have had throughout.

I do think this is one of those films that might work better if you have no attachment to the book. If I hadn’t read Wuthering Heights, I probably would have enjoyed it more as a visually striking, slightly chaotic gothic romance. But knowing the source material makes it hard not to notice what’s missing.

In the end, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t really watching an adaptation of a literary classic, but rather someone’s personal, teenage interpretation of it. It’s a film that looks incredible, and there are moments that almost work, but it never quite captures the emotional depth or complexity of the original.

My rating of "Wuthering Heights" (2026) is ★★½