Wuthering Heights (2026)
This 2026 version of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel is freely adapted by writer and director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman and Saltburn). It's fine if a filmmaker wants to intentionally subvert a classic property instead of doing a straight and faithful retelling, but the changes to this version of Wuthering Heights just don't work. Despite an excellent production design and fine performances, it ends up being a dour affair.
It's 18th century England, and Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) has returned home to Wuthering Heights, a windswept estate on the Yorkshire Moors, with a ragamuffin child in tow. Earnshaw's young daughter, Catherine, is quickly taken with the orphan boy and names him Heathcliff after her dead brother. Speaking of her brother, the character of Catherine's cruel brother Hindley is not in this version, so it is her father who is the abusive alcoholic who gives servant boy Heathcliff a hard time.
As the years pass, Catherine and Heathcliff (played as adults by Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, respectively) grow very fond of each other. Because the estate is in disrepair, Catherine decides to marry wealthy new neighbor Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). A heartbroken Heathcliff runs away but returns several years later well groomed, rich, and out for revenge.
The film crashes and burns when Heathcliff and Catherine both transform into despicable villains. Also, in this telling, Edgar's sister Isabella (Alison Oliver) is totally into Heathcliff's evil plan to marry her purely out of revenge against Catherine. We are treated to a scene where Heathcliff has Isabella chained up and barking like a dog. Yes, that happens. As for Catherine and Heathcliff having a sexual affair, it just takes away the tension and longing in their relationship.
Modern songs by Charli XCX that accompany music video style scenes are jarring and unintentionally funny. These scenes come off like a parody of art house filmmaking.
The first half of the movie isn't bad at all, chalking up the changes to the filmmaker having fun with the source material, but then the dreadful second half feels like full on contempt.
