By Jose Daniel Hernandez

On Feb.13 the long-awaited film “Wuthering Heights” directed by Emerald Fennell premiered across theatres worldwide. This film was highly anticipated for a variety of reasons. One was the star-studded cast that featured Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, who both have had a great run with films in the last couple of years (“Barbie” and “Frankenstein”). The second reason is that this was a very loose adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel of the same name. 

Before the film even premiered in theatres, the audience could have expected that Fennell would not be canon to the book for various reasons. The title for starters was in quotation marks. Additionally, in interviews, she stated that this was an adaptation of how she remembered Wuthering Heights from her 14-year-old reading. This also influenced her casting of one of the main characters, Heathcliff, as Jacob Elordi, she said “[he] looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff in the first book that I read.” This led to a lot of criticism due to how he actually is portrayed in the novel, being described as “darkskinned” and a “gypsy.” 

Having read the book prior to the premiere of the film and learning this information towards the premiere of the film, it can be smart to consider these two separate pieces of work, which just happen to have the same name. 

Overall the film was not bad. While it was aesthetically pleasing, this storyline goes nowhere. Removing the aspect of racial difference from Heathcliff is one of the reasons that makes the tragic “love story” less impactful as that eliminates a barrier for them to not be together. Additionally, this interpretation relies on its visuals to carry the audience along through the film. As mentioned previously, Fennell does an amazing job in creating an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere throughout the film.  This can help distract from the lack of substance throughout the film. Another thing that aids this is the soundtrack, which was produced and curated by Charli XCX. She did a phenomenal job in capturing the essence of the novel and it was amazing in the film. Both factors conjoined make this movie pleasurable to watch.

Moreover, this movie did have potential to be a dark romance with Isabella. However, that character did not reach her full potential. (Will not elaborate as it can spoil the latter half of the film) 

Nonetheless, one good thing that Fennell did in this interpretation of the characters was making them unlikable. In the novel, they are all despicable and you are not rooting for anybody. In the film, it is portrayed the same and one can applaud her for sticking that part. 

A few close friends were asked their opinion on the film, as well as asking them if they had read the novel prior to watching the film. 

Brooke Craigs, 27, said she had not read the book prior to watching the film. “I did not know anything about the story before watching. But I think that the movie was not that good, it lacked in a lot of areas. I didn’t feel an emotional connection, so the ending did not feel as impactful as it should have.”

However, there are other people who have different opinions.

Kandis Sullivan, 29, said she had also not read the book prior to watching the film. “I’m a romantic, I’m a sucker for romance movies!  So, I liked the movie and I loved the yearning. I was crying at the end of the movie so much.”

As one can see, the public opinion is divided. Some people like it, some people do not. It truly is a piece of media one sees to then have a full grasp. This film is currently a hot topic and as you can see, has varying views.

Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1847.

Tinoco, Armando. “Emerald Fennell on “Wuthering Heights” Criticism for Casting Robbie & Elordi.” Deadline, 29 Sept. 2025, deadline.com/2025/09/emerald-fennell-wuthering-heights-primal-sexual-margot-robbie-jacob-elordi-1236565521/.

Brooke 

Kandis Sullivan