A Divisive Adaptation, “Wuthering Heights” (2026) | Film Review

This is not a faithful adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel, quite the opposite this is a brash, outlandish, larger than life explosion of desire and romance. If you’re looking for an adaption of your favourite book, this will not impress you, leave your expectations at the door and allow yourself to dive into this fictional world of yearning. Also yes, it is very raunchy. 

Adding quotation marks to the title distances this retelling from its source material and rightfully so, this is a dreamlike interpretation, a sex crazed version of the historical gothic novel. The idea of adaptation is a hard thing to perfect, when something attempts to be faithful it’s unnecessary and when a film attempts to be different it’s insulting. This film dared to be different and I appreciate that. 

The trailer and promotion might lead to you believe this film is a deranged or indescribably sex fuelled nightmare, worthy of the director’s predecessor Saltburn but in actuality, this adaptation only dips its toe into the waters of fan fiction intensity and scandal. I was prepared and expected more twists, more madness and a lot more debauchery but this film is a tragic romance.  

Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif, Owen Cooper, Hong Chau, Martin Clunes and Charlotte Mellington genuinely give exceptional performances. I could easily highlight moments when each actor brought intensity and charm to their roles. Robbie and Elordi had playful chemistry with one another but I was particularly impressed with Martin Clunes role as Earnshaw. Clunes brought a harrowing, creepy, spine chilling supporting performance with moments of genuine comedy that made the whole screen chuckle. His performance was a surprisingly memorable and notable takeaway from this film overall. 

Emerald Fennell is known for delivering highly provocative, stylised feature and she often has a visceral approach to story that thrives on uncomfortableness, satire and dark humour. “Wuthering Heights” is no different, this feature is a bold almost surrealist approach in terms of set design and costume. Fennell prioritised extreme aesthetics over historical accuracy. The juxtaposition of colour palette and high concept sets creates a stark contrast between that decaying Heights and the opulent Thrushcross Grange. Set design and costume was something I greatly admired in this feature, it felt like a fantastical fever dream. I was also a fan of the opening title sequence of hair moulding into the title. 

The costumes also reflected this fantastical fever dream aesthetic, blending 1870s shapes with 1950s glamour to create a truly otherworldly environment for its characters to play within. 

The music in this film was wild, ethereal, raw and sexual. Charli XCX created 12 tracks for the feature and each evoke a deep intensity that compliments the films brutal love story and cold landscapes. The soundtrack is easily one of the films most redeeming qualities. 

Overall, when you set aside the source material and swallow the audacity of this adaptation you are able to get swept up by the beauty and elegance of it. The story is simplified, the characters are under developed but all for the sacrifice of a filmmakers wild imagination. Emerald Fennell dared to throw everything at this film and with the absence of depth a tragic romantic feast was born. The visuals were enticing along with the set design, costume and musical choice which all creates a fantastical feeling. Although I will say, the casting decisions are in no way rectifiable and representation matters. 

“Wuthering Heights” is a divisive adaptation and a lot of viewers will despise its retelling of what is considered to be one of the greatest works in English literature. This is not the “Wuthering Heights” you know, this is literally nothing like that. It is a deeply romanticised version of a gothic tale which suggested a lot of intense imagery but didn’t quite deliver as much as promised or expected. 

Probe Points

★★★