Wuthering Heights Review: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi’s Film Has No Substance Only Visuals!
Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi will release on February 13, 2026. Here's our review.
2 / 5
The opinion that books are superior to their film adaptations is true. However, there have been some great films based on popular novels, and we recently saw the release of one. Not exactly though! Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is her interpretation of the classic novel by Emily Brontë. The film stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the lead characters Catherine and Heathcliff respectively. I am sure we are all aware of the themes and the layers that the novel deals in, the film however chooses to be ignorant for the most parts. But still was it Wuthering Heights the greatest love story of this year, here’s our quick thoughts for those of you wondering!
Plot
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights picks some central themes from the novel. It begins with the friendship between little Catherine Earnshaw (Charlotte Mellington) and Heathcliff (Owen Cooper). Heathcliff is a poor boy who is provided shelter, food and clothing by Catherine’s father, the cruel Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes). The housekeeper and Cathy’s confidante Nelly (Hong Chau) plays a crucial role in her life, and the tragedies that occur in her love story. Heathcliff’s class and status forces Catherine to marry a rich man Edger Linton (Shazad Latif) and sacrifice her love. Heathcliff leaves Yorkshire only to return as a wealthy man five years laters. Cathy is married and is also expecting a baby with Edgar, however, but things changer after Heathcliff’s return. The second half of the film is all about the romance, love and s*x between Cathy and Heathcliff which lasts until Edgar commands her to stop seeing him. The longing and yearning for each other results in the sad death of Cathy. Another pivotal character is played by Alison Oliver as Edgar’s sister Isabella. Yeah, pretty much that’s the simplified story.
What’s Not Good?
The Screenplay
The screenplay by Emerald Fennell is weak and lacks substance. While an interpretation of the classic novel is acceptable, Margot and Jacob’s Wuthering Heights doesn’t even consider to explore the depths of this novel in anyway. The film is a simple narrative that looks at themes of classism, love, yearning with a tunnel vision. In fact, the first second half of the film is more like an erotica from the 1800’s. The film is only an interpretation of the novel, and therefore, half of the plot is missing from the film, and it mostly centred around Heathcliff and Catherine, the portrayal of which lacks conviction and somewhere gets lost in the beautiful visuals and aesthetics. The entire point of racism is cancelled out in the film as Heathcliff’s character is white male in this case, which was actually one of the major obstacles in this love story. The character arcs are vague, especially that of Isabella. The innocent Isabella turns into a wicked and clever woman after marrying Heathcliff and that’s so out of the blue that one doesn’t even feel like questioning it.
The love and hate relationship of Heathcliff and Cathy is half-baked and does not allow us to feel anything. Everything just comes down to the fact that “Wuthering Heights” focuses more on the visual appeal of the film rather than the storytelling. The screenplay is so out of touch with the essence of this novel that some classic dialogues even fail to hit the mark. Edgar Linton has been made to be a rich yes-man character who’s only good as a provider, and the actor had hardly anything to do in the film.
The entire sequence that shows Catherine enjoying the rich lifestyle given to her by Edgar yet feeling a sense of emptiness in Heathcliff’s absence seemed a little funny to me. It felt more like a song video than a film!
Performances
Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw is brilliant. She is a treat to the eyes but writing gives the actor little ammunitions to leave us in awe. Similar problems arise with Jacob Elordi’s Healthcliff. Such an interesting and evil character is only made to be an eye-candy in the Emerald Fennell film. While the actors have delivered dedicated performances in the film, the emotions hardly comes through.
Also Read: Margot Robbie’s Viral Taj Mahal Diamond Necklace Is Worth THIS Much And We’re Screaming!
Wuthering Heights however is a visually pleasing film. The locations are dreamy, the outfits are pretty, some shots are really mesmerising. Occasionally, the film is an immersive experience that makes your mind wander in the moors of Yorkshire. I also expected the climax of the film to last a little longer because all the emotions were accumulated for the final shot.
Verdict
Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” is an extremely simplified or dumb down version of Emily Brontë’s classic, but still not done well. The only engaging aspect of the film is the visuals. Well, this one will clearly not be a fan of the book lovers.
First Published: February 11, 2026 4:47 PM
