REVIEW: ‘Wuthering Heights’ when creative liberty gets stretched too far

With remarkable production design, glamorous costumes, makeup and stellar performances from its cast, “‘Wuthering Heights’” is let down by its tone-deaf and lackluster writing and direction.

Contrary to popular belief, Emerald Fennel is a good writer and director. Her debut feature, “Promising Young Woman,” is a unique thriller that twists elements of romantic comedy, while also presenting a balanced theme of vengeance and remorse. She, then, followed it up with “Saltburn,” a controversial satire filled with themes of class and obsession. While many dismissed it as a rip-off of “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” many more were willing to just drink the bathwater and enjoy it!

When Fennel first announced her adaptation for “Wuthering Heights,” she made it clear that it would be a “loose adaptation” and would honor the way in which she read it. This sparked quite a bit of interest for the film, which was only heightened by the casting of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Catherine and Heathcliffe. While both great actors, neither shared much in common with their characters. Robbie is a whole 10 years older than Catherine is in the novel, and Elordi is not of the same ethnicity as Heathcliff, who is explicitly described in the novel as non-white. Nonetheless, intrigue only heightened as fan theories were developed after the use of quotation marks in the title.

The fan theories were unfortunately squashed, though, and it was confirmed that the adaptation would only stick to the first half of the novel and focus on the passionate love story between Catherine and Heathcliff. A passionate love story that was nonexistent in the novel.

What resulted is a film that was all style and no substance.

The technical qualities of the film are truly stellar. The cinematography is brilliant, and the hazy environment the characters are in feels like a surreal portrait. The costume design is more than memorable, with gowns and ribbons galore. What was particularly striking was the hair and makeup, which spanned from youthful and bright to ghastly and disgusting.

The performances also stood out quite well. Robbie managed to bring great nuance and layers to Catherine, and Elordi fleshed out Heathcliff’s jealousy and bitter persona well. The standout, though, was Martin Clunes as Mr. Earnshaw, Catherine’s father. It’s a big, showy performance that still manages to exert both the fierce rage and crippling addiction of the character.

The crucial flaw of this film is that none of the essential themes concerning racism, generational trauma and sexual assault were explored. Fennel abandoned those timely themes in place of one regarding classism, which she already explored in “Saltburn,” and the other being doomed love… which most have seen enough of.

Another major flaw of the film is the development of its characters. While Catherine and Heathcliff have some interesting characterization, a lot of the supporting characters of the film fall very flat and can be pretty perplexing. The motives of Nelly, who was played splendidly by Hong Chau, are inconsistent and leave more questions than answers. It’s one thing to let the audience have their own interpretation toward one action or quality of a character, but it’s another to make the audience form an interpretation of an entire, significant character.

Isabella is another character who was drastically changed for the adaptation. In the book by Emily Brontë, Isabella is not a willing participant in Heathcliff’s plan to torture Catherine by taking her as a wife. Isabella’s victimhood is not portrayed in the film, likely to cast Heathcliff in a better light. If the adaptation had developed her character more, it may be an accepted change had the audience understood why she would agree to this. A simple attraction to Heathcliff convinces her to move into ruins with a man who will never love her to spite her brother’s wife, even going as far as acting like his pet to concern Nelly. It’s a shame, too, as Alison Oliver’s performance was more than compelling.

The score of the film was both made and included very well. The haunting orchestration matches perfectly with the eerie setting. Additionally, Charli xcx provided original songs, and while they may clash with the period setting within the film, they are clearly made with a lot of thought and creativity. If there is one good thing that came out of this movie, it’s definitely Charli xcx’s companion album.

In regards to the box office, “‘Wuthering Heights’” earned a total of 82 million dollars globally in the opening weekend of its release. While the film drew in a large audience, the film has received a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59% on the tomatometer scale. The reviews praise Elordi and Robbie’s performance, but note that it lacks storyline and substance.

One critic, Peter Travers, noted that the film was “Emerald Fennell’s overheated but undercooked take on Emily Brontë’s classic Gothic romance.”

In the end, “‘Wuthering Heights’” gave off an impression that was more Colleen Hoover than Gothic Tragedy. It’s a shame, as it had the makings of a great film, and honestly could’ve been one… if only it weren’t an adaptation.

Rating: 5/10

Olivia Arnold is a junior at Indiana University Indianapolis, majoring in journalism with a minor in general communications. She is a writer for The Campus Citizen. Beyond writing, she enjoys watching reality TV, reading classic literature and traveling. Nicholas Heck is currently in his third year at Indiana University Indianapolis. He enjoys all things related to music, film and literature. In his free time he enjoys drinking coffee while reading or crocheting, listening to a new album while exercising (he’s training for his first marathon) and going to concerts!

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