'Wuthering Heights' Review: Emerald Fennell’s Bold, Brash and Visually Mesmerising Romance
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
By Jack Ransom - February 12, 2026
Inspired by Emily Bronte’s classic novel of the same name. Wuthering Heights presents a passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Catherine Earnshaw (Margot Robbie).
Having not read the book or watched any of its prior adaptations I went into this with zero investment in or emotional attachment to the source material, which may be the best way to go into this particular version of this story. Upon the casting of Margot Robbie in particular, eyebrows were raised and a divisive reception seemed to swiftly erupt given the age change of Catherine from the book, coupled with director Emerald Fennell’s penchant for controversy and sleaze that many claimed is a significant contrast to that of the novel.
After the striking opening, we follow a young Cathy & Heathcliffe, the film sews the seeds of their relationship and establishes their personalities effectively. Cathy’s motormouth, reckless sense of adventure and persistent neediness, coupled with Heathcliffe’s quieter, harsher demeanour, yet his loyalty and care for her are undeniable. This bleeds over into the rest of the film (when the pair are adults) to striking and toxic effect, as they face a tug of war of their hearts, societal expectations and truly drastic levels of desperation, selfishness and emotional pain in the final act.
This is genuinely one of the best looking films I have seen at the cinema (happy to see it again at the IMAX, as it would look incredible on that screen). The costumes, props and stellar production design work together to craft an otherworldly feeling to the proceedings. From the cold, gradually dilapidating titular homestead, which descends into gothic, chilly, candle flickering despair to the lavish, eye-popping, endless colours of the palace-like home of Edgar. There are shots here that will be engraved in my mind for a while: Heathcliff’s return in the fog, the dynamic dutch-angle of Cathy riding to the church and a shot towards the finale that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror film, truly spine chilling yet hypnotic in its presentation.
The landscape cinematography is vast, endless and monumental, either doused in fog, lashing with rain, drenched in sunlight or crashing with thunder and lightning, the rollicking endless hills are a perfect backdrop to this tale. I was intrigued to see how Charli XCX’s soundtrack would integrate with the period setting and it works more as background accompaniment to Anthony Willis’ excellent more traditional score. It is at the forefront of the opening pre-title scene, as an overbearing wall of noise and the Chains of Love montage is also a particular highlight.
Performance-wise Elordi & Robbie have steamy, sharp chemistry, as well as delivering in the quieter moments of sensitivity and levity. The former is presented and shot by Fennell as a looming, magnetic presence and his hushed, deep tones and suave demeanour, coupled with bursts of frightening obsession, dominance and frustration concoct an unpredictable leading man. Fennell emphasises plenty of close-up’s of Margot Robbie’s face, which allows us to see every ounce of Cathy’s emotions. Robbie’s accent is a little wobbly at points, but her boundless balance of playful and petulant, stinging pouty jealousy and outbursts of frustration at choosing between desire and degradation are well performed.
The supporting cast does a top job as well. Martin Clunes fierce, greedy, alcoholic Mr. Earnshaw descends into an almost Jekyll & Hyde-esque caricature. Hong Chau’s, quietened yet always observing Nelly is a constant fixture of the backdrop, Alison Oliver brings the chuckles as the smitten, playful and enthusiastic Isabella and lastly Shazad Alif’s Edgar offers Cathy security and care, yet also nails the underlying suspicion of her loyalty to him.
Wuthering Heights is a bold, beautiful, intoxicating, brash statement of a film, which showcases genuine heartbreak and sensitivity yet also does find its feet occasionally stepping in trashy paperback fluff with a little stuffiness in the second half. However, I feel it’s certainly going to strike a chord with a new generation of audience-goers, as well as harkening back to the lavish large scale period dramas of the 1990’s & 2000’s.
'Wuthering Heights' hits cinema screens on February 13.
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