| There is at least one filmmaker working today bold enough to take a classic work of English literature, strip it down to its bare bones, build it back up in lavish fashion, and then release it into the wilds of 21st century movie-goers and film critics. Much has been said about how the story is not faithful to the original novel, but very little has been said about how it stays true to the quintessential elements and then makes the story better. | | 2026
Directed by: Emerald Fennell
Screenplay by: Emerald Fennell
Based on the novel by Emily Brontë
Starring: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver
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Criticism about the music, or sex or costumes that don’t fit the era at all, I will get to later, they at least make sense. But criticisms about how the story isn’t faithful - where is that even coming from? Let’s talk about who actually likes the original novel. Critics from the 1800s hated it – it was bold and powerful, but awful characters in an unnecessarily complicated structure. High school students hate it. Teenage me probably said I liked it to sound cool, but that was a slog of a book to get through.
The elements of the Emily Brontë’s novel that has seeped through into pop culture knowledge, are: the gothic-style romance, the moors of southern England, Heathcliff’s mysterious and brooding nature, and Heathcliff and Cathy’s never-ending but tragic love story. The power and boldness of those elements is exactly what has kept Wuthering Heights famous for the last century-plus, and it is also the power and boldness of those exact elements that Emerald Fennell has brought to life in this epic adaptation.
My first thought about seeing how the expansive landscape was filmed and the vibrant characters that populate it, was the decidedly gothic style and the dark romance of the fog. The gothic influences for both the original novel and this adaptation are unmistakable. The stormy skies with a soft fog also add the perfect blend of foreboding tragedy and romance that is crucial to the story. I love how the moors are photographed here, perhaps even better than I imagined.
The music and sex are necessary for a modern adaptation. We’re no longer living in the Victorian era, so the movie does not need to be filmed that way. The costuming however, which I feel will be way too controversial to make an impact at next year’s Oscars, is stunning and also clearly not from the original novel. But I think it’s brilliant precisely because the dresses Cathy wears at the beginning, while she’s still drawn to Heathcliff, before she up-ends her life, are appropriate for the era and her character. The movie makes a very sudden departure and starts incorporating extravagant modernized stylings to Cathy’s dresses the minute she marries Edgar. She’s now rich and a completely different person she was before. These dresses do not fit the era, stylistically in line with the fact that Cathy does not fit the life she is living. As Heathcliff returns, her dresses slowly start incorporating some more traditional stylings.
Speaking of Edgar, Shazad Latif has one of my favourite performances in the movie. From his half-listening to Isabella recite the plot summary of Romeo and Juliet in great detail (and yes, Fennell obviously picked Romeo and Juliet on purpose, I hope all viewers picked up on that) to his carefully selecting his words when he knew it wasn’t a sparrow as Cathy insisted that broke their window, but rather Heathcliff, camouflaged by the darkness of the night.
Cathy and Heathcliff remain fundamentally selfish and boorish people. Stories with characters like that often have an emotionless edge to them, and that is certainly true here. It’s bold, sexy, romantic in a sense, but with a lack of any big feelings. There’s a despicableness to the story that makes it hard to get wrapped up in. Perhaps it’s an odd choice for Valentine’s Day, but on the other hand, there’s a lot more sex in this version than Emily Brontë could have imagined.
Wuthering Heights retells the story the way it should: all of the complicated narrative – gone, and in its place - striking visuals, bold costuming and a movie that effortlessly flows from beginning to end.
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