Review: "Wuthering Heights"

-


Official synopsis: A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Owen Cooper as a child, Jacob Elordi as an adult) and Catherine Earnshaw. (Charlotte Mellington as a child, Margo Robbie as an adult)

I'll start off by saying that I don't care about the novel and I barely remember any of the versions of this I have watched. Not to sound flippant, but I mention this because I don't have a dog in the current internet fight going on over this film. Emerald Fennell has shown in all her directorial efforts that she's a provocateur and I love that for her.

And that worked out great for me because I thoroughly enjoyed Wuthering Heights. Like many adaptations, it doesn't do the full book, it keeps Cathy Earnshaw and Heathcliff as the main figures, and that's fine. The production design and costume design are absolutely breathtaking. The use of reds and pinks in Cathy's clothes are so striking against the moody backdrops. The only fumble is the unfortunate wig they stick on Young Cathy.

The actors are all spectacular as well. It was nice seeing young Owen Cooper in this after being so familiar with him in Adolescence. He, Mellington and Vy Nguyen who plays young Nelly aren't in the film for long, but they are very memorable. Elordi, Robbie, and Hong Chau are obvious power houses. Elordi and Robbie have excellent chemistry together and all three actors do a great job of feeling like grown up versions of the actors that played them as children. Alison Oliver as Isabella was another standout. Her character is kind of ridiculous, and I can see book fans feeling some type of way about how her character is portrayed in this, but I loved it. 

If anything, I was expecting this film to be a bit more...hornier. There's an insane sense of longing, but I was expecting some Lady Chatterley's Lover level of love scenes in this and there really isn't. There's no nudity, which also surprised me a bit.

I had a great time with this, it was the perfect February movie for me, and I hope I see it in the Production and Costume categories next Oscar season.

Grade: B

Comments

  1. Disgruntled Job SeekerFebruary 18, 2026 at 12:06 PM

    yeah, it was what it was. but i do think the conversation around the film is more interesting than the film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 18, 2026 at 4:38 PM

      I find some of the conversations around this film exhausting lol

      Delete
  2. thevoid99February 18, 2026 at 12:59 PM

    I am intrigued to see this though the only other version of the film I saw is the 2011 version by Andrea Arnold that had a black actor as Heathcliff. I'm more familiar with the song by Kate Bush as I've been tempted to buy a red dress in case there's another Wuthering Heights event in Atlanta so I can dance to that song with a bunch of other people. BTW, what is your take on Charli XCX's soundtrack as I've only heard a few tracks including the one she did with John Cale as she's been winning me more every day. I love that she's a fan of the Velvet Underground.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 18, 2026 at 4:39 PM

      I haven't listened to the full soundtrack but the bits in the film worked well. I like some of Charli's songs, even if I don't always *get* them. According to letterboxd I also watched the 2011 version but I have no memory of this lol

      Delete
  3. SJHoneywellFebruary 19, 2026 at 10:22 PM

    My understanding is that the ending is pretty significantly changed. That's usually something I dislike, but there are cases where it works. I have a lot of confidence in Emerald Fennell, though.

    The 1939 version of this is fine, but given how good a film year 1939 was, it barely registers. Olivier is good in it--he plays Heathcliffe like a stone cold pimp.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 20, 2026 at 6:48 PM

      I think it works, personally. It's not as egregious as something like the change in My Sister's Keeper for example. That's what came to mind first.

      Delete
  4. BirgitFebruary 22, 2026 at 1:11 PM

    I heard about the controversy, but no clue what the controversy is about. Ive seen the 1939 film version which I love. Fact, I saw it when I was a kid and got so freaked out by the ending that I refused to go downstairs to my room to sleep. I was a strange kid. I saw a version with Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff which was quite good and, I think, that is the one that focused on their children as well. I have seen a couple of others but l9ve the '39 version.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 22, 2026 at 5:21 PM

      I'll need to put the 39 version on my list, it's hard for me to compare, but for what this one was going for, I think it did a good job.

      Delete

Post a Comment

If you're reading this message you should leave a comment.

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing ...
Read more

Please join me in my Favorite Movie Titles Blogathon!

-
Image
Earlier this week I made a post where I ran through the letters of the alphabet with my favorite movie titles. There were a few people that suggested I turn it into a blogathon, and I've never done that before. So here goes nothing! Since this is my first attempt at a blogathon, it's all pretty simple, and it's hopefully a quick post that everyone can join in. Rules: 1) Going through the alphabet, list your favorite movie title beginning with each letter.  2) You don't have to necessarily  like the movie to use it's title.  3) Use the banner at the top of this post in yours. 4) Please have submissions in by Friday, May 30th*. (But I'll be honest, if you send them to me after that date, I'll still add them to my post.) You can either leave a link to your post in the comments here or tweet it to me, ( @ramblingfilm )  Thanks everyone! :)  *I had to move the date back a week due to Photobucket threatening me with bandwidth issues. But...
Read more

Review: The Ugly Stepsister

-
Image
Official synopsis : Follows Elvira (Lea Myren) as she battles against her gorgeous stepsister, Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Næss)  in a realm where beauty reigns supreme. She resorts to extreme measures to captivate the prince ( Isac Calmroth)  , amidst a ruthless competition for physical perfection. It's no coincidence that some of the best body horror films are ones that are about the ridiculous beauty standards placed upon women. "Beauty is pain" after all. The two go hand in hand.  Here, first time director Emilie Blichfeldt takes a classic fairy tale that we all know and dials it up to eleven. Prepare to cringe. Poor Elvira goes to serious lengths to be deemed "beautiful." Nevermind that Elvira IS already beautiful, but she has *gasp* braces and a bump in her nose. ( allegedly) Her mother doesn't support her daughter and tell her she's fine the way she is, instead she encourages the painful procedures Elvira goes through. It's hard to watch on multipl...
Read more