Wuthering Heights Review: A Fashionable, yet Flawed Adaptation
Emerald Fennell has taken the classic tale of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and transformed it into a 20-page fashion shoot that prioritizes style over substance. The result is a film that promises much but ultimately delivers little.
At its core, this Wuthering Heights is less about the tumultuous love story between Cathy and Heathcliff and more about Fennell's own vision of what she thinks the audience wants to see on screen. Margot Robbie's portrayal of Cathy is particularly noteworthy, as her character's desires are showcased in a way that feels shallow and self-indulgent.
Heathcliff, played by Jacob Elordi, fares slightly better, but even his brooding intensity can't save this film from its overall sense of languor. Fennell's decision to omit certain key elements of the novel, such as the character of Hindley Earnshaw and the issue of Heathcliff's dark skin, only serves to highlight the film's lack of attention to detail.
One of the most striking aspects of this Wuthering Heights is its tone, which veers wildly from campy humor to pseudo-romantic sentimentality. The result feels like a 136-minute music video, with Fennell relying on Baz Luhrmann-esque style over substance.
While there are moments where this film comes close to capturing the passion and intensity of Cathy and Heathcliff's love story, they are ultimately fleeting and insufficient to save this film from its overall sense of emptiness. Ultimately, Wuthering Heights feels like a luxurious pose of unserious abandon, a shallow imitation of real emotion that leaves the audience feeling unsatisfied.
Emerald Fennell has taken the classic tale of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and transformed it into a 20-page fashion shoot that prioritizes style over substance. The result is a film that promises much but ultimately delivers little.
At its core, this Wuthering Heights is less about the tumultuous love story between Cathy and Heathcliff and more about Fennell's own vision of what she thinks the audience wants to see on screen. Margot Robbie's portrayal of Cathy is particularly noteworthy, as her character's desires are showcased in a way that feels shallow and self-indulgent.
Heathcliff, played by Jacob Elordi, fares slightly better, but even his brooding intensity can't save this film from its overall sense of languor. Fennell's decision to omit certain key elements of the novel, such as the character of Hindley Earnshaw and the issue of Heathcliff's dark skin, only serves to highlight the film's lack of attention to detail.
One of the most striking aspects of this Wuthering Heights is its tone, which veers wildly from campy humor to pseudo-romantic sentimentality. The result feels like a 136-minute music video, with Fennell relying on Baz Luhrmann-esque style over substance.
While there are moments where this film comes close to capturing the passion and intensity of Cathy and Heathcliff's love story, they are ultimately fleeting and insufficient to save this film from its overall sense of emptiness. Ultimately, Wuthering Heights feels like a luxurious pose of unserious abandon, a shallow imitation of real emotion that leaves the audience feeling unsatisfied.
. I mean, Wuthering Heights is such an iconic story and it's been done in so many different ways before. But this one just felt like a bunch of pretty pictures strung together without any real substance or depth. Margot Robbie was definitely the highlight for me, her performance as Cathy had some serious edge to it 
. But overall I think Emerald Fennell lost sight of what makes the story so compelling in the first place 
. The pacing was all over the place and there were some plot points that just felt like they didn't fit with everything else. It's a shame because it had potential, but I guess you can never please everyone 
.
anyways emerald fennell's style over substance is def a thing now lol but seriously what happened to substance? and margot robbie's cathy is so extra 
jacob elordi can't save this movie from its own problems, bro. and can we talk about the lack of heathcliff's skin tone in the film? like, how did they even cast him? 
honestly i think emerald fennell's vision is way too pretentious lol she thinks she's making some deep statement about fashion and style but really she's just showing off her own ego 
it's like she took a classic book and turned it into a catwalk, who cares about cathys desires when the clothes are already giving me LIFE 
I'm a bit surprised they left out some of the important characters and plot points, too... like, what happened to Hindley? It felt like they were trying to make this whole pseudo-romantic vibe thing work, but it just ended up feeling kinda shallow 
. The lack of attention to detail is super glaring, especially with Heathcliff's character being whitewashed. And don't even get me started on the tone - it's like they're trying to be campy and pseudo-romantic at the same time 
. Overall, it feels like they were more focused on making the film look Instagrammable than actually telling a meaningful story 
.
I mean, I love the original novel as much as the next person, but this one just felt like a glossy photoshoot on steroids. The focus was all on Margot Robbie's hair and outfits (no shame to her, btw 
), and it totally overshadowed the story we were supposed to be invested in. And don't even get me started on Jacob Elordi's portrayal of Heathcliff - he had some serious chemistry with Robbie, but even that couldn't make up for the lack of depth elsewhere. The film felt like a tease, you know? It'd build up to something emotional and then just... drop it 
and honestly I was really disappointed. The film seemed to focus more on looks than actually telling the story. Margot Robbie's character, Cathy, felt kinda superficial at times - you'd think her feelings would be way deeper given the novel 
. Overall, I'd say this Wuthering Heights adaptation was just okay - not bad, but definitely not great 
i mean emerald fennell's vision is all over the place - she prioritizes style but forgets about the actual story 
margot robbie's cathy is so shallow, like what even is her motivation? 
anyway i was expecting more from the film but all i got was a bunch of pretty outfits and some emo music 
jacob elordi as heathcliff was kinda better but even his brooding intensity couldn't save this film from feeling like it was stuck in a rut. the fact that they omitted some key elements of the novel just made me wanna scream 
It felt like a rushed, shallow attempt at artistry 
. I wanted to feel something real and raw with this film, but it just came across as pretentious and boring 
and Heathcliff's skin tone thing is just not cool 
the only good thing I can say about this film is that Emerald Fennell's style is LIVING its best life 
but overall it feels like a fashion show rather than a real movie 
. But maybe the problem is that Wuthering Heights is a pretty complex novel - it's not just about the love story between Cathy and Heathcliff, it's also about class, family dynamics, and the trauma of their pasts 
. Maybe next time she'll find that perfect balance between style and substance 
. Margot Robbie's Cathy is super pretty but her character feels so shallow and self-absorbed... I mean, what happened to that strong-willed girl from the novel? 
. I wish she would've stuck to the novel's tone and emotions instead of trying to create this weird, campy vibe 
. What really bugs me, though, is how they glossed over some major plot points... I mean, Hindley Earnshaw? No thanks! That's like omitting a whole layer of the cake 
. Anyways, I think Fennell's style over substance vibe just didn't pay off for this adaptation... what do you guys think?